Escaping Destiny For A Bit
by krynny su
Summary: \\\**Part 7 in the 'Adventures of a Time Lord & Slayer' series/ Telling the few places that the Doctor took Buffy before they met up with Xander & Dawn in NYC.**NOW COMPLETE!**
1. Pick Ups & Pit Stops

**Disclaimer:** I would like to stress how much I do ***not*** own Buffy or Doctor Who. I'm just tweaking these DW eps to my liking and throwing the Buffsters into the mix!

**A/N:** So, this story is going to start where Buffy calls up the Doctor after _'Chosen'_. Doctor Who wise, it's post _'Smith & Jones'_, however, there's a little tweak to the end of that episode! I'm positive you can figure it out. haha.

DW-verse; Buffy's POV. Hopefully I can do this without driving myself crazy! Here goes nothing!

**Escaping Destiny For A Bit**

**Chapter One: Pick Ups & Pit Stops**

I was having a hard time adjusting to the fact that three days ago, I had led my team into a full on war with the First. And won.

We won.

I think, honestly, that was the hard part.

Adjusting to the fact that we had actually won.

Our small bus load had made it to LA in record time. Most of the gang stayed with Angel and company.

Xander, Dawn and I chose a motel.

After a day or two, Xander decided he was off to New York. After a serious amount of begging and pleading, I let Dawn go with him. She would be safe with him. Plus, I wasn't going to be gone forever. I would meet up there with them eventually. I just wanted to enjoy my new, sparkly semi-retirement a bit first.

Robin, Faith and Andrew flew off to Rome with the rest of the newly created Slayers.

Giles, Willow and Kennedy were off to London to get a brand spanking new Watcher's Council up and running.

However, before they left earlier this morning, I had Willow do me a tiny favor. She, against her better wishes, tapped into some psychic magic mojo and called up the Doctor for me.

How, I do not know. I try not to get into a lot of specifics with this kind of stuff.

I leaned against the hot brick wall of my former motel, arms folded, eagerly awaiting my ride.

It had been well over a year since I had seen the Doctor last. I remembered the night that he left all too vividly. I usually tried not to think about it. I was happy now. No more absurdly depressed Buffy, thank God.

Sure, I was sad over the recent losses, Spike included. But I was happy in knowing that they had all gone down like the heroes and heroines that they truly were.

The extremely familiar whirring whooshing noise diverted me out of my thoughts. I smiled wide as I watched the TARDIS materialize in front of me. In a matter of seconds, the front doors opened and the Doctor burst out, just like I remembered him. The same wild hair, the same crazy smile, the same ancient eyes. Even the same damn navy suit and red converse.

I shook my head and laughed.

He looked at me curiously. "What's so funny, then?"

"You _never_ change. Ever. Do you even own another suit?"

"Yeah, it's brown…"

"Besides the brown one."

"Oh, then, no." he smiled.

"Well, perhaps we should go shopping…."

"It's lovely to see you again, Buffy." he said, pulling me into a hug.

I wrapped my arms around him tightly. "It's good to see you again, too."

He pulled out of the hug and noticed my measly little duffel bag on the ground, sitting next to my scythe.

"What's all this?"

"My luggage."

"Luggage?"

"Yep."

"What luggage? And, for that matter, why are we in Los Angeles? Er, well, I should say, why are you in Los Angeles?"

"Well, the way I figure…it's time you get a new companion." I smiled.

His face shifted through several different reactions. Excitement, happiness, worry, confusion.

"Companion?"

"Yep."

"As in you?"

"Yep."

"As my companion?"

"Yep."

"What about Sunnydale? And the Hellmouth? Is there another Slayer? You didn't die again, did you?"

I laughed. "I did die, actually. Just for a split second though…I got shot. Long story. Well, no, not that long I guess."

"You got shot?"

"There are a lot of new Slayers, Doctor."

"How?"

I grabbed my duffel bag and the scythe off of the ground and walked towards the TARDIS.

"You steer and I'll story tell. Deal?"

He thought a moment and in the end his curiosity won out.

"Deal." 

* * *

><p>I picked myself up off of the floor of the TARDIS and headed for the doors. I opened them carefully, making sure we were where I wanted us to be.<p>

Giant hole in the Earth?

Home sweet home.

"Aliens first." I said, ushering the Doctor out to my former town.

He walked out and his jaw dropped instantly. I followed him to the edge.

We stood overlooking the massive canyon.

"This is Sunnydale?"

"The one and only."

He didn't respond right away.

"Kind of fitting, I suppose." he said after a few minutes.

I laughed. "I know, right?"

"What did this?"

I smiled sadly.

"Spike."

_"Spike?"_ he exclaimed, surprised.

"Yeah, that's what everyone else said too."

"How?"

"There was this amulet thing—"

"No, I meant what happened in the last year and a half to make something like this happen?"

"The First."

"The First?"

I nodded. "The First Evil. The thing that gives 'Evil' it's capital 'E.'"

"Oh, I know the First."

I furrowed my eyebrows, confused. "You do?"

"Oh yes. I've met it, once."

I wasn't sure if I should be shocked or not.

"When?"

"Awhile ago. When…Rose. We landed on this alien planet…well, the story so much isn't as important. I imagine it was incorporeal?"

"Yeah, completely. That was it's whole big thing. Tipping the scales to make itself corporeal."

He smirked a little. "It's a good thing I wasn't around then, I guess. It would've been awfully cross with me. I emptied it's corporeal body into a black hole."

I switched between several different expressions before finally settling into a grin.

"I should've known. I really honestly should've known."

"Do I have to ask how this happened again?"

"Wellll….remember all that stuff you said about Willow and the resurrection thing tearing universal holes?"

He nodded immediately understanding. "Your resurrection allowed for the essence of the First to seep through."

"In a nutshell, yes."

"I told you so."

I rolled my eyes.

"Speaking of, I see that Willow's still doing magic." he said, referencing their magic-y telepathic 'phone' call earlier.

"She's better now. There was a period where she went all dark magic-y after Tara died. She almost had the world sucked into Hell, actually. Thankfully Xander got there in time. I know, Xander. It was definitely fitting though. And I don't know if any of the rest of us could have done it. Giles immediately whisked her off to his estate in England for witch rehab or whatever. She's better. She's so much better now."

"I've missed a lot, in only just a year. You mentioned new Slayers?"

I nodded and smiled.

"Willow and I, we changed the world. With this." I said, holding up the scythe.

"What is that thing?" he asked, seemingly disturbed by the weapon.

"It's the true weapon of the Slayer. Forged in secrecy. Guarded for ages. Just for us Slayers. Willow used the inner energy of it to release the essence of the Slayer."

He grinned his silly, maniacal grin. "So you and Faith…you aren't the Chosen two anymore. You're free."

"I'm in the process of semi-retirement."

"You know, I've been thinking. I do have an opening for a companion...I've been traveling by myself for too long now and I would be outrageously honored if you would accept."

I turned towards him. "There's some things you need to know first, before I accept."

He turned his head curiously. "Go on, then."

I turned and stared out over the crater.

"After you left…I kind of went off the deep end a bit. I did things I'm not proud of. I felt things that I had no business feeling."

"Buffy—"

"I had a relationship with Spike."

"Oh."

"A…..sexual relationship with Spike."

_"Oh."_

"You know how he was about me. And I completely used him. Just because he made me feel something…anything. After I was resurrected…I mean, you saw how hard it was for me. Doctor, I wasn't stuck in some stupid Hell dimension. I was—"

"In Heaven." he said, finishing my sentence.

"You knew?"

He nodded his head.

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't honestly feel that it was my place to. You were already going through so much. I didn't want to bring more pain to you by making you talk about it."

"Oh. Well then."

"About Spike…"

"I think I learned to love him. At least a little bit."

"I figured that was coming."

"He got a soul. He had a soul when he took Sunnydale down."

"I still can't believe he did all this."

I smiled another sad smile. "He went down how I always knew he would. Fighting. A champion. A hero."

The Doctor intertwined his hand with mine.

"So about that companion opening…"

I smirked. "You know that's the whole reason I had Willow track you down, right?"

"I do now." he smiled back.

"Where were you anyway?"

"I was dropping a new friend back off in London."

"You made a friend? I'm shocked." I joked.

"Her name is Martha. We had quite the adventure on the moon. The Judoon were lurking about, searching for a Plasmivore."

"You didn't insult her, did you? I know how you are."

"The Plasmivore?"

I rolled my eyes. "No! Martha."

"Oh, no. Well, I don't think so. I was actually about to offer her a little trip as a thank you when Willow, er, called."

"She sounds nice. More importantly, it kind of sounds like she may have saved your hide. You'll have to introduce us sometime. I think I might like her."

The Doctor smiled. "You would definitely get a long."

"Doctor, there's something else that I think you need to know before we go."

"What's that?"

I turned away from the crater and faced him. I reached up and planted a long kiss directly on his lips.

He pulled away, shocked at first. I didn't move from where I stood. He stared at me incredulously for a moment before pulling me back to him and resuming the kiss I had started.

We broke off after a few minutes, needing air.

"Okay, I think it's time to go." I said, pulling away from him, but leaving our hands entwined.

We walked back to the TARDIS and he ran up and around to the console, pulling levers here and, well, I don't know what else there.

"So, where are we off to?" I asked, sitting on the chair behind him.

He grinned wildly. "Oh, I know just where to take you."


	2. The Shakespeare Code

_"The Shakespeare Code"_ is not owned by me. I did not write this episode. Wish I did as it's one of my favorites, but I didn't. haha. It's copyrighted to BBC/RTD.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Two: The Shakespeare Code, Part One<strong>

I picked myself up from the floor as the TARDIS landed, something that was quickly becoming a regularity.

"So, do you have to pass a test to drive this or what?"

He grinned. "Yes. And I failed."

"Of course you did."

He walked around the console, grabbed his trench from it's post and walked towards the doors.

"Like you can talk. Let's see your driver's license." he countered.

I swallowed and decidedly ignored his comment. "So, where are we? Or is it when? When are we?"

The Doctor nodded his head towards the door. "Come take a look."

I put my denim jacket on over the lace camisole I was wearing and headed towards the doors. I opened them up to reveal a cobblestone street filled with quaint little buildings. I felt my jaw slowly gaping down.

"Hellllloooo land of the tweed."

The Doctor rolled his eyes and we both stepped out of the TARDIS. It was nighttime and the street was filled with old fashioned people in old fashioned dress.

I kind of felt like I was in a book of literature and that Shakespeare was going to poke his head out of a door any minute.

Suddenly, the Doctor grabbed my arm and jerked me back.

A man from a building above dumped out some kind of gross bucket. "Mind the loo!" he yelled.

"Well, to answer your previous question, we're apparently somewhere before the invention of the toilet. Sorry about that."

I shook my head. "It's alright. I've seen worse. Smelled worse."

The Doctor took my hand and we walked through the streets.

"Is this London?" I asked.

The Doctor hesitated a moment. "I think so. By the looks of it, 1599, give or take."

"You can tell what year it is just by looking?"

He turned his face and smiled, in kind of a smug way. "Well, yes. Yes I can. Genius, after all."

"This is completely ridiculous. Can I say that? Too bad. I said it."

The Doctor grinned. "Elizabethan England really isn't so different from your time, Buffy. They've got recycling. The ever popular water cooler moment. Global warming. And, if I'm correct, which I'm pretty sure that I am…some of the best entertainment you can find!"

We walked around the corner and, in the distance, I could see a large theatre hovering a top all the rest of the buildings.

"Oh yes. The Globe Theatre. Brand new. Just opened. Through, strictly speaking, it's not a globe; it's a tetra decagon — fourteen sides — containing the man himself."

"I know that I probably should know who you are talking about…but then again, I'm not Giles nor am I Willow. I'm not even Dawn, in the brainy department. My education mainly consists of Slayer-y things."

He rolled his eyes. "Shakespeare."

My eyes bugged out a little bit. "As in William?"

So Shakespeare really could poke his head out of a door at any moment.

Weird.

He grinned. "Yes, that would be him! Miss Summers, would you like to accompany me to the theatre this fine evening?"

I grinned in return. "Why yes, I would love to!"

"That was amazing…just absolutely amazing. I mean, I kind of had no idea what they were talking about but still, amazing! Those are men, dressed up as women, right?" I said, as we stood up and cheered with the crowd.

The Doctor smiled. "London never changes."

A man next to me started to chant 'Author!' and soon it was sweeping around the theatre.

After a minute or two, the man himself walked out on stage. Instead of the weird, kind of creepy looking guy from the textbook portraits, he was actually fairly handsome.

"Genius. He's a genius - the genius. The most human Human that's ever been. Now we're gonna hear him speak. Always, he chooses the best words. New, beautiful, brilliant words." the Doctor rambled.

"Shut your big fat mouths!" Shakespeare bellowed from the stage.

I covered my mouth to hide a small laugh. The Doctor's eyes fell, semi-disappointed.

"Oh, well, then again, maybe not all the time." he said.

I patted him on the shoulder, comfortingly, still giggling. "Well, you know what they say. You should never meet your heroes."

Shakespeare started to speak again.

"I know what you're all saying. 'Loves Labour's Lost', that's a funny ending, isn't it? It just stops! Will the boys get the girls? Well, don't get your hose in a tangle, you'll find out soon. Yeah, yeah. All in good time. You don't rush a genius."

He bowed and then suddenly jerked upright again.

"When you ask? When? Tomorrow night! The premiere of my brand new play. A sequel, no less, and I call it, 'Love's Labour's Won!" he added.  
>After another few minutes we followed the crowd as they trudged out of the theatre.<p>

"Okay, so I know I'm so far away from being an expert on Shakespeare but I don't ever recall hearing Giles talk about anything called 'Love's Labour's Won' before. And he's read all of them. Repeatedly. And had many boring conversations with Willow about them. Repeatedly."

The Doctor scratched his head, ignoring my Giles comment. "Exactly — the lost play. It doesn't exist — only in rumours. It's mentioned in lists of his plays but never ever turns up. No one knows why."

I thought a moment and my eyes widened. "You don't happen to have a video camera on board, do you? We could tape it, sell it and make a fortune."

He raised his eyebrow. "No."

I nodded my head. "That would probably be bad, huh?"

"Yeah, that would be bad."

"Let me guess, you want to stay and figure this out?"

The Doctor entwined his arm with mine.

"Wellll…It's not exactly like you have anything to do…"

I nodded my head, giving in. "Okay okay. You win. We'll stay. Figure out the mystery, in true Scooby gang fashion. Though, I' draw the line at setting a trap with a net."

-

We walked down the corridor of an Inn. The Doctor stopped at an open door and knocked.

"Hello! Excuse me! I'm not interrupting, am I? Mr. Shakespeare, isn't it?"

Shakespeare sat an extremely old fashioned table with two other men that I think I recognized from the play. There was a bar matron with them as well.

Shakespeare looked up at the sound of the Doctor's voice. "Oh no, no, no, no. Who let you in? No autographs. No, you can't have yourself sketched with me. And please don't ask where I get my ideas from. Thanks for the interest. Now be a good boy and shove-"

He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed me standing behind the Doctor.

"Hey, nonny nonny. Sit right down here next to me." he finished. He dismissed the other two men and the bar matron from the room.

I looked at the Doctor and he grinned at me and shoved me into the room. I walked up to the table and sat down in one of the chairs.

Shakespeare grabbed my hand. "Sweet lady. Such unusual clothes you wear. So…fitted."

I didn't say anything in return, which I'm sure was rude but I for the life of me could not figure out what to say in return to Shakespeare hitting on me.

Luckily, the Doctor walked up and saved the awkward turn that the conversation was heading in.

He took out a little leather wallet from his pocket and flicked it open, for Shakespeare to see.

"I'm Sir Doctor of TARDIS and this is my companion, Miss Buffy Summers."

Shakespeare looked at the Doctor curiously. "Interesting. That bit of paper is blank."

The Doctor beamed. "Oh, that's... very clever. That proves it. Absolute genius."

I turned and looked at the paper. "But it says it right here. Sir Doctor. Buffy Summers."

Shakespeare turned his head to me. "And I say it's blank."

The Doctor glanced over to me, putting the little leather wallet back in his pocket.

"Psychic paper. Um, long story. Oh, I hate starting from scratch. I'll tell you about it later."

"Psychic. Never heard that before and words are my trade. Who are you exactly? More's the point, who is this delicious golden beauty that sits before us?"

I turned my head back towards Shakespeare, slowly. "Delicious? Golden?"

"Have I upset you?" Shakespeare asked.

The Doctor stepped in quickly. "Oh, she's just…Buffy. From a far, far away land—"

"California." I answered.

"Buffy…such a strange, foreign name." Shakespeare commented.

Before I could respond, and oh, I had planned on it, a burly man burst into the room dressed to the nine's in complete Shakespearian garb. This was all too much. I barely managed to suppress giggles at his tights.

"Excuse me! Hold hard a moment. This is abominable behaviour. A new play with no warning? I demand to see a script, Mr. Shakespeare. As Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be performed."

"Tomorrow morning, Lynley. First thing, I'll send it 'round." Shakespeare answered.

"I don't work to your schedule, you work to mine. The script, now!" Lynley barked.

"I can't." Shakespeare said simply.

I saw out of the corner of my eye a maid slip quietly from the room. I hadn't noticed her when we walked in and I thought it odd that she hadn't left with everyone else a few moments ago.

"Then tomorrow's performance is cancelled. I'm returning to my office for a banning order. If it's the last thing I do, 'Love's Labour's Won' will never be played. " Lynley announced before leaving the room.

"Well, that solves the mystery of 'Love's Labour's Won'. And here I thought we were going to Scooby gang it." I said flatly.

Shakespeare eyed me curiously again. "You speak so strangely Miss Summers."

I was about to respond when I was cut off yet again, this time by a series of loud screams that echoed throughout the building, from outside.

The three of us jumped up and rushed outside. Thanks to my Slayer speed, I was the first there.

The man that had just been in the room with us, Lynley, was standing up right, holding his throat, like he was choking.

"It's that Lynley guy." I said.

"What's wrong with him? Leave it to me, I'm a doctor!" the Doctor said, pushing me aside.

"Well…I'm stronger than you. I'm a better candidate for CPR giving."

"Yeah, until you break all his ribs."

I opened my mouth to retort, but I had nothing so I moved to the side.

Lynley fell to the ground and started to writhe around and then stopped very suddenly. Water started to gush out of his mouth. He was very clearly dead now.

"Okay, what the hell was that?" I asked the Doctor.

He knelt down next to the body and I followed suit. "I've never seen a death like it." he whispered. "His lungs are full of water — he drowned and then... I don't know, like a blow to the heart, an invisible blow."

He stood up and addressed the bar matron from the Inn who had been the one to scream first.

"Good mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humours. A natural if unfortunate demise. Call a constable and have him taken away."

"Yes sir." she answered.

The maid that I had seen sneaking out of Shakespeare's room a few minutes ago walked up to the bar matron. "I'll do it, ma'am." she said.

I stood up and the Doctor turned back to me.

"You know this is nowhere in the same realm as natural, right?" I whispered.

"This lot still have got one foot in the Dark Ages. If I tell them the truth, they'll panic and think it was witchcraft." he whispered back.

"But it is witchy." I countered.

He looked at me curiously.

"H-ellooo. Slayer here. Lived on a Hellmouth for seven years. Not to mention, my best friend is half-Goddess now. I know witchcraft when I see it."

"Willow's half-Goddess?" he asked, surprised.

"That story isn't the best to get into right now. Considering, you know, the dead guy on the ground."

The Doctor shook his head. "Right. You're quite right. Later then."

Shakespeare eyed us, curiously. If he had heard our conversation, he made no mention of it. The bar matron came back out and escorted all three of us back into the Inn and up the stairs.

"I got you a room, Sir Doctor. You and Miss Summers are just across the landing there."

I turned and thanked her and she walked off.

"Poor Lynley. So many strange events. Not least of all, this land of California where a woman can dress as you do and have her way, so boldly, in a conversation?"

"Yeah, us women, we get all kinds of freedoms there." I answered, awkwardly pulling my denim jacket tighter around me as he was still staring at my...'clothes'.

Smooth Shakespeare, smooth.

He turned his gaze to the Doctor, thankfully.

"And you, Sir Doctor. How can a man so young have eyes so old?"

"Oh, well, um, I….do a lot of reading. Very dramatic, tragic reading." he said, fidgeting his way through an answer. I giggled.

"A trite reply. Yeah, that's what I'd do." Shakespeare said. He turned his gaze back to me. If I pulled my jacket any tighter, I might've cracked a rib.

"And you, you look at him like you're surprised he exists. He's as much of a puzzle to you as he is to me."

"I'm not surprised, generally speaking. I don't really get surprised by too much anymore."

"Your young eyes are just as ancient as his." he replied.

"I…also do a lot of reading." I fibbed.

I heard the Doctor suppress his laughter.

"Well, I think I'm going to go get some sleep. Long day." I added on, departing the room. I walked across the landing, into our room, stood by the door and listened to the rest of the conversation between the Doctor and Shakespeare.

Eavesdropping is okay, right?

"I must work. I have a play to complete. But I'll get my answers tomorrow, Doctor, and I'll discover more about you and why this constant performance of yours." Shakespeare said.

"All the world's a stage." the Doctor said.

I rolled my eyes. Only he would quote Shakespeare to Shakespeare.

"Hm, I might use that. Good night, Doctor." Shakespeare said, after a few minutes.

"Nighty night, Shakespeare." the Doctor said. I heard his footsteps walking across the landing. I immediately jumped away from the door and pretended like I was examining the room.

"It's not exactly the Hilton, is it?" I said, hearing him walk in.

"It'll do. I've seen worse." he countered. "You know how incredibly rude eavesdropping is, right?" he added, closing the door behind him.

I turned and plastered on my bestest, fakest smile I could muster. "It's okay when you're trying to find out info."

He rolled his eyes. "And you lot all call me rude."

He walked over and plopped down on the bed. He patted the space next to him. "C'mon now. You must be tired."

"Slayer thing. Used to staying up for days at a time."

He eyed me curiously. "How long have you been awake for?"

"Well, let's see. We only stayed in LA for like, three days total, this morning being day number three. I was too wired to sleep when we got there. I slept for two, maybe three hours yesterday. Though, if you count the time before the First, I was up for a good forty eight, possibly fifty hours—"

"Buffy, just come lay down." he said, smiling.

I walked over and laid next to him on the bed. It was a little odd but at the same not really. He put his hands behind his head and started brainstorming.

"This appears to be witchcraft. But it's not. Well, I don't think it is. Maybe it is. The old me, the Doctor before I met Buffy Summers, would say that witchcraft isn't real."

I smiled. "And now?"

"Well, now, I don't know what to think. It's all a bit Harry Potter-ish. Well, minus the murder. Okay, no, including the murder. Oh, speaking of, I cannot wait to tell Dawn about Book Seven. Oh, I criiied."

"Doctor, you're rambling."

"Right. Sorry." he turned on his side, facing me. I turned so I was facing him. "There's something that I'm missing but what is it? It's staring me right in the face and I can't see it. You've got super human seeing abilities, right? What's staring me in the face?"

I rolled my eyes. "Right now? Me. And I'm suddenly feeling very sleepy."

He smiled and gave me a quick peck on the cheek before blowing the candle on the night table out. "Goodnight, love."

I closed my eyes and sleep came rather quickly.

-

I sat straight up in bed and was out the door in two seconds, flat, with the Doctor on my heels. The scream that had awoken me had come from directly across the landing, in Shakespeare's room.

We burst through his door, rather loudly, and Shakespeare awoke at the sound. We stopped dead in our tracks to see the body of the bar matron on the floor.

"Wha'? What was that?" Shakespeare, stammered.

I ran to the window and noticed something peculiar. Something that probably would make Willow really upset when I told her about this later on.

"Her heart gave out. She died of fright." the Doctor said, examining her body.

"Oh, Doctor." I called from the window.

He stood up and joined me. "What? What is it? What did you see?"

"Oh nothing. Nothing. Except for a witch. Flying away on a broomstick."

"Buffy, this is hardly the time for jokes." he said, seriously.

I crossed my arms and turned to face him. "Do I look like I'm joking to you?"

"No, no you do not." he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and turning away from the window.

He walked over and sat down at Shakespeare's desk while I stayed perched by the window. You know, just incase of any witch-y type sightings again.

"Oh, sweet Dolly Bailey. She sat out three bouts of the plague in this place. We all ran like rats. But what could have scared her so? She had such enormous spirit." Shakespeare said.

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light." the Doctor said.

I'm sure it was a quote from something, but what, I had no idea. Again, I'm not the brainy one in this relationship. I'm just the heroine. The luscious, muscle-y heroine. Yep. That's me.

"I might use that." Shakespeare quipped.

"You can't. It's someone else's." the Doctor answered.

A thought played through my mind. I turned and faced Shakespeare.

"You see, the thing is, Lynley drowned on dry land, Dolly died of fright and they were both connected to you."

He looked at me accusingly. "You're accusing me?"

"Well, no, but haven't you written about witches?" I retorted, barely remembering some of Giles' Shakespearian rambles.

"No, I haven't." he replied, earnestly.

"No, not yet." the Doctor said, leaning over and whispering in my ear.

"Peter Streete spoke of witches." Shakespeare said.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"Our builder. He sketched the plans to the Globe."

The Doctor's eyes widened.

"The architect. Hold on. The architect! The architect!"

He slammed his fist down on the table.

"The Globe! C'mon!" he said, rushing out of the room.

-

"The columns there, right? Fourteen sides. I've always wondered but I never asked... tell me, Will, why fourteen sides?" the Doctor asked.

He stood below, on the ground, while Shakespeare and I stood on the stage.

"It was the shape Peter Streete thought best, that's all. Said it carried the sound well." Shakespeare answered.

"Why does that ring a bell? Fourteen…" the Doctor said, pacing.

"Um…well, aren't there are fourteen lines in a sonnet?" I asked.

The Doctor stopped paced and stared at me, possibly in amazement. I, sometimes, could be brainy.

I crossed my arms and set an 'I-dare-you-to-comment' look at him.

He took the hint well and continued on pacing.

"So there is. Good point. Words and shapes following the same design. Fourteen lines, fourteen sides, fourteen facets…Oh, my head. Tetra decagon... think, think, think! Words, letters, numbers, lines!" he said to no one in particular.

"This is just a theatre." Shakespeare said, flatly.

"Oh, but a theatre's magic, isn't it? You should know. Stand on this stage, say the right words with the right emphasis a the right time... Oh, you can make men weep, or cry with joy, change them. You can change people's minds just with words in this place. And if you exaggerate that..." the Doctor started.

Suddenly, I got what the Doctor was aiming at.

"Oh! It's kind of like…well, me. Small, petite girl on the outside, immense power on the inside."

The Doctor grinned at my analogy.

"Exactly! That was good. Very good. Tell you what, though. Peter Streete would know. Can I talk to him?"

"You won't get an answer. A month after finishing this place... lost his mind." Shakespeare answered.

"Why? What happened?" I asked, concerned. There was a time when I had lost my mind, too. More than once, actually, if I thought on it.

"Started raving about witches, hearing voices, babbling. His mind was addled." Shakespeare said.

"Where is he now?" the Doctor asked.

"Bedlam."

"What's Bedlam?" I asked.

"Bethlem Hospital. The madhouse." Shakespeare said it as if the strange girl from California should've known.

"We're gonna go there. Right now. Come on."

The Doctor walked off and I followed.

"Wait! I'm coming with you. I want to witness this at first hand!" Shakespeare hollered behind us. We slowed our walking to wait for him as two of his actors entered the room.

"Ralph, the last scene as promised. Copy it, hand it round. Learn it. Speak it. Back before curtain up. Remember, kid, project. Eyes and teeth. You never know — the Queen might turn up."

He walked away from his actors and caught up with us.

"As if. She never does." he said to us, as we walked away.

-

We walked through the now silent streets. I somehow got suckered into walking in between the Doctor and Shakespeare.

I think the Doctor just liked seeing how I dealt with Shakespeare's uncomfortable advances.

Jerk.

I say that lovingly, of course.

"So, tell me of California, where women can be so bold as you are." Shakespeare said.

"Isn't this country ruled by a woman?" I asked.

"Ah, she's royal. That's God's business. Though," he said, pausing. "You are a royal beauty."

I stopped in my tracks.

"Okay, this whole 'Shakespeare-is-flirting-with-me' thing was cute to begin with but now it's just giving me a wiggins. Don't you have a wife?"

Shakespeare smiled.

"Yes, in the country. We are in Town."

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Come on. We can all have a good flirt with my girl later."

"Is that a promise, Doctor?" Shakespeare asked, still staring at me.

"Oh, fifty-seven academics just punched the air. Now move!" he said, crossly.

-

We entered the… 'hospital' some time later. The guard led us through the halls. The absolutely disgusting halls. It seems that my absolute hatred of hospitals can and does transcend through time.

There were screaming…patients all around. It was making me sick. I grabbed the Doctor's hand, hoping it would comfort me some.

He looked into my eyes when I grabbed his hand and I saw that we shared the same thoughts about the place we were currently in.

"Does my lord, Doctor, wish some entertainment while he waits? I'd whip these madmen. They'll put on a good show for ya. Bandog and Bedlam!" the guard asked.

If I didn't hear it with my own ears, I'm not sure I would've believed it.

"No, I don't!" the Doctor answered, disgusted.

"Wait here, my lords, while I make him decent for the lady." the guard said, walking away.

I kept my hand firmly planted in the Doctor's and turned towards Shakespeare.  
>"So this is what you people call a hospital? Where the patients are whipped to entertain? And you put your friend in here?"<p>

"Oh, and it's all so different in California." he answered, blankly.

"But you're a genius. Do you honestly think this place is any good?" I countered.

"I've been mad. I've lost my mind. Fear of this place set me right again. It serves its purpose." he answered, again.

"Mad in what way?" I asked.

"You lost your son." the Doctor said, softly.

"My only boy. The Black Death took him. I wasn't even there." Shakespeare answered, sadly.

"I didn't know. I'm sorry." I said, quietly.

"It made me question everything. The futility of this fleeting existence. To be or not to be... oh, that's quite good." Shakespeare said.

"You should write that down." the Doctor said, smirking.

"Hmm, maybe not. A bit pretentious?" Shakespeare answered.

The guard came walking back down the hall to us. "This way, m'lords. And lady."  
>We followed him down the hall, towards the jail cell. I still had a firm grip on the Doctor's hand. We reached the cell and the guard unlocked the door, letting us in.<p>

"They can be dangerous, m'lord. Don't know their own strength." he said, as a warning.

"I think it helps if you don't whip them! Now get out!" the Doctor said, angrily.  
>He, regretfully, let go of my hand walked up to Peter.<p>

"Peter? Peter Streete?" the Doctor asked, gently.

"He's the same as he was. You'll get nothing out of him." Shakespeare said.

The Doctor rested his hand lightly on Peter's shoulder.

"Peter? Can you hear me?" he asked.

Peter's head jerked up and he looked at the Doctor with crazy, wild eyes.

The Doctor laid his fingertips along the side of Peter's face. He was doing the psychic thing. He had tried it on me once, just to see if he could, and well, let's just say, it ended with him flying through the glass window thanks to the good ol' inner Slayer inside of me.

"Peter, I'm the Doctor. Go into the past, one year ago. Let your mind go back, back to when everything was fine and shining. Everything that happened in this year since happened to somebody else. It was just a story. A winter's tale. Let go. Listen. That's it, just let go. Tell me the story, Peter. Tell me about the witches."

Peter closed his eyes as the Doctor laid him back down and started to speak.

"Witches spoke to Peter. In the night, they whispered. Got Peter to build the Globe to their design. Their design! The fourteen walls — always fourteen. When the work was done they sapped poor Peter's wits."

"Where did Peter see the witches? Where in the city? Peter, tell me. You've got to tell me where were they?"

Peter was silent for a minute before answering.

"All Hallows Street."

Suddenly, the room shifted a little and there was a grotesque storybook witch standing next to the Doctor.


	3. The Shakespeare Code: Part Two

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own it. Just using for my, and hopefully yours, amusement! DW is still owned by the BBC/RTD & Joss still owns Buffy. Sad for me!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three: The Shakespeare Code: Part Two<strong>

"Too many words." the old hag of a witch cackled.

The Doctor jumped up and stood by me. Well, in front of me. Protecting me.

"What the hell?" I yelled.

"Just one touch of the heart." the witch said, laying her hand on Peter's chest.

"No!" the Doctor shouted, moving forward, towards Peter and the witch.

Peter screamed and then…died.

"Witch! I'm seeing a witch!" Shakespeare stammered.

"Who would be next, hmm? Just one touch…" the witch cackled again. The Doctor resumed his protective stance in front of me.

"Oh, oh, I'll stop your frantic hearts. Poor, fragile mortals." she continued on.

"Let us out! Let us out!" I yelled for the guard.

"That's not gonna work. The whole building's shouting that." the Doctor whispered.

"Who will die first, hmm?" the witch asked again.

The Doctor looked up at her.

"Well, if you're looking for volunteers." he said, walking towards her.  
>My heart panicked. I just got him back and what in the holy hell was he doing? Offering himself up to some stupid witch.<p>

"No, don't!" I yelled, grabbing for his arm. He shook my grip off.

"Doctor, can you stop her?" Shakespeare asked.

"No mortal has power over me." the witch hissed.

Something in my mind clicked and my panic disappeared.

No mortal had power of her, no. But the Doctor was no mortal. He wasn't even human.

"Oh, but there's a power in words. If I can find the right one — if I can just know you..." the Doctor said, in thought.

"None on Earth has knowledge of us." the witch said, proudly.

"Then it's a good thing I'm here. Now think, think, think... Humanoid female, uses shapes and words to channel energy... ah, fourteen! That's it! Fourteen! The fourteen stars of the Rexel planetary configuration! Creature, I name you Carrionite!"  
>The witch's eyes grew wide. She let out a loud howl and then disappeared just as quickly as she had come.<p>

"What did you do?" Shakespeare asked.

"You named her. The power of a name." I said.

"That's old magic." he grinned.

"But there's no such thing as magic!" Shakespeare said.

"Well, it's just a different sort of science. Oh, well, wait. I guess there's not a lot of science going on here right now. Carrionites use words as power. There. Simple."

"Use them for what?" Shakespeare asked.

"The end of the world." the Doctor stated, in dramatic fashion.

Shakespeare's eyes grew wide.

My mouth dropped open.

"You have got to be kidding me!"

Both the Doctor and Shakespeare turned towards me.

I walked over to the Doctor. "Hi, I don't know if you remember this or not, I just got done saving the world. From an all powerful, giant evil. Literally. Three days ago."

Shakespeare's eyes widened a bit further, if it was possible. The Doctor seemed to be contemplating something and then switched his contemplation to a giant smirk.

He put his arm around my waist and pulled me a little bit closer to him.

"Darling, it just wouldn't be the same with you if the end of the world wasn't looming in the background."

We sat once more in Shakespeare's room. Though, this time, Shakespeare was actually the only one sitting. The Doctor was pacing and I perched myself at the window again, acting as lookout. My super human seeing allowed me the perfect form of night vision.

"The Carrionites disappeared way back at the dawn of the universe. Nobody was sure if they were real or legend." the Doctor said.

"Well, I'm going for real." I chimed in, still staring out the window.

"What do they want?" Shakespeare asked.

"A new empire on Earth. A world of bones and blood and witchcraft. Simple stuff." the Doctor answered, nonchalantly.

Like this is the kind of thing that Shakespeare was used to hearing about all the time.

"But how?" he asked.

"I'm looking at the man with the words."

"Me? But I've done nothing."

An idea trickled through my mind.

"Hold on, though. What were you doing last night, when that Carrionite was in the room?" I asked.

I didn't have to turn around to know that the Doctor was on the page I was on.

"Finishing the play." Shakespeare answered.

"What happens on the last page?" the Doctor asked.

"The boys get the girls. They have a bit of a dance. It's all as funny and thought provoking as usual — except those last few lines. Funny thing is... I don't actually remember writing them."

I mentally counted to three and by the time I got to one and a half, the Doctor had already gotten it. Oh how I enjoyed, er, enjoy, his brilliance.

"That's it! They used you. They gave you the final words. Like a spell, like a code. 'Love's Labours Won' — it's a weapon! The right combination of words, spoken at the right place with the shape of the Globe as an energy converter! The play's the thing! And yes, you can have that."

"All Hallows Street. We should get there. Check it out." I said, still searching out the window.

"Yes…yes indeed. Do you have a map I can borrow?" the Doctor asked.

Shakespeare shuffled through some parchment and a moment later, produced a map.  
>I turned away from the window and walked over to him and the Doctor.<p>

He pulled his specs out of his jacket pocket and searched across the map until he found it.

"All Hallows Street. There it is. Buffy, we'll track them down. Will, you get to the Globe. Whatever you do, stop that play!"

"I'll do it. All these years I've been the cleverest man around. Next to you, I know nothing." Shakespeare said, shaking the Doctor's hand.

"Are you complaining?" I asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not. It's marvelous. Good luck, Doctor. Miss Summers."

"Good luck, Shakespeare," the Doctor said, grabbing my hand and pulling me along.

"Once more unto the breach!"

"I like that. Wait a minute... that's one of mine." I heard Shakespeare comment as we ran out the door. The Doctor stopped, turned and poked his head back around the door.

"Oh, just shift!"

He grabbed my hand again and we were off to find some witches.

We stood in the empty street, staring about.

"All Hallows Street, but which house?" the Doctor said.

"The thing is, though...the world didn't end in 1599. It just didn't. Look at me — I'm living proof." I said.

"Oh, how to explain the mechanics of the infinite temporal flux? I know! 'Back to the Future'! It's like 'Back to the Future'!"

"The film?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes at me.

"No, the novelization. Yes, the film. Marty McFly goes back and changes history."

"And he starts fading away…oh God, are we going to fade? Dawn? Xander? Willow? Giles?"

"Afraid so. You, your family and the entire future of the human race. It ends right now in 1599 if we don't stop it. But which house?"

My panic attack was interrupted by the creaking sound of a wooden door opening, by itself, on the house directly in front of us.

"Ah, make that WITCH house." the Doctor commented.

I rolled my eyes at his lame joke.

"I'd just like to say that, in every single horror movie, this is how the dumb, ditzy, blonde damsel in distress bites it. By walking into the creepy house when she knows damn well that she should've stayed home."

The Doctor grinned. "Well it's lucky for us that you're not dumb or… 'ditzy'. Nor are you the damsel in distress."

We entered the house, slowly, and the girl I had recognized earlier as the maid in Shakespeare's room, stood waiting for us. I knew there was something off about her.

"I take it we're expected." the Doctor said.

"Oh, I think Death has been waiting for you a very long time." the witch said.

I walked forward and glanced at her. "You don't know real power."

She turned her head curiously at me. "And you do, I gather. I can sense it all around this one, yes I can."

"I know a witch that is a million times more powerful than you and your ugly old hag-friends could ever be."

Her eyes widened with anger and she pointed her finger at me.

"I gaze upon these covers and now I name thee Buffy Summers."

I felt something stir on my inside and then I collapsed. I actually didn't black out, however, with the force of the power struggle that was currently going on inside of my body, it was near impossible for me to open my eyes.

"What have you done?" I heard the Doctor yell. I felt him run his hands over me, checking for a pulse and keeping my hand in his.

"Only sleeping, alas. Curious, the name has less impact. She's somehow out of her time. And as for you, Sir Doctor!"

There was silence for several seconds before the witch spoke again.

"Fascinating. There is no name. Why would a man hide his title in such despair? Oh, but look. There's still one word with the power that aches."

"The naming won't work on me."

"No, but your love for this girl…you hide it so well. But why do you hide it, I wonder? Ah, yes. You are scared. You know that your love could be her death." she cackled.

I felt the Doctor drop my hand and stand.

"Oh, big mistake 'cause that keeps me fighting! The Carrionites vanished! Where did you go?" he growled.

"The Eternals found the right word to banish us into deep darkness."

"And how did you escape?"

"New words. New and glittering from a mind like no other."

"Shakespeare."

"His son perished. The grief of a genius. Grief without measure. Madness enough to allow us entrance."

"How many of you?"

"Just the three. But the play tonight shall restore the rest. Then the human race will be purged as pestilence. And from this world we will lead the universe back to the old ways of blood and magic."

"Hmm... busy schedule... but first you gotta get past me."

"Oh, that should be a pleasure considering my enemy has such a handsome shape."

The power that was wrestling inside my body had a new friend popping up to play.

Jealousy.

Extreme jealousy.

"Now, that's one form of magic that's definitely not gonna work on me."

"Oh, we'll see."

"What did you do?"

"Souvenir."

"Well, give it back!"

There was a loud noise and then sort of a…wind rushing sound followed by the Doctor.

"Well, that's just cheating."

"Behold, Doctor. Men to Carrionites are nothing but puppets." the witch said. She sounded farther away than before.

I noticed that the power struggle going on inside of me seemed to be lessening up. My eyes shot open and I slowly started to sit up, a bit dizzy.

The Doctor was standing at the window sill, staring out. The witch was levitating outside the window, holding a tiny little doll.

"Now, you might call that magic... I'd call that a DNA replication module."

"What use is your science now?" she laughed.

She stabbed the doll. The Doctor let out a cry and fell to the floor. The witch cackled (so not helping her cause any) and flew away. I jumped up as fast as I could and rushed over to the Doctor.

"Oh my God! Doctor! Don't worry, I've got you." I said, pulling him and rolling him over onto his back. I distinctly heard his heart beating and quickly remembered about his two hearts.

I rolled my eyes and dropped him, gently, off my lap.

"Two hearts. Did you think I'd forget?"

He tried to stand, but he fell down to his knees. I grabbed a hold of him so he wouldn't do a face plant. I quite enjoy his face.

"I've only got one heart working. How do you people cope? I've got to get the other one started. Hit me! Hit me on the chest!" he said, rapidly.

I hit him, pretty hard, on his left side.

"Aahh! Other side! Wrong heart!"

I moved to his right side and hit him in the same place, with the same amount of strength.

"On the back! On the back!" he yelled.

I punched him in the back.

"Left a bit!"

I rolled my eyes and punched him, harder.

"Ahh, lovely." he said, standing. "There we go! Ba-da-boom! Well, what are you standing there for? Come one! The Globe!"

The Doctor and I ran aimlessly through the streets.

"We're going the wrong way!" I yelled. My Slayer-y instincts were definitely pulling me in the opposite direction.

"No, we're not!" he yelled back, running down the exact street I had told him not to. He stopped in his tracks so suddenly that I almost knocked him over.

"We're going the wrong way!" he yelled. He turned, grabbed my hand and we ran back the way I had told him to go in the first place.

"I told you so! Slayer instincts. They sense evil things. They pull me in that direction!" I yelled back.

We stopped suddenly again, this time I did run into the Doctor. There was loud screaming coming from all around. A red energy was pouring up out from the top of the theatre.

"Stage door!" the Doctor yelled, pulling me a long with him once more.

We burst through the backstage door to find Shakespeare sitting, nursing his head.

"Stop the play! I think that was it. Yeah, I said, 'Stop the play'! " the Doctor yelled.

"I hit my head." Shakespeare responded.

"Yeah, don't rub it, you'll go bald." the Doctor commented.

Loud screams came from out front.

"I think that's my cue!" the Doctor and I both said, in unison.

We shared a peculiar smile and ran out to the stage, with Shakespeare in tow.  
>I could hear the three witches yelling something about 'millennium of blood' as we ran out on stage.<p>

"The Doctor! He lives! Then watch this world become a blasted heath! They come! They come!" the witch from All Hallows Street bellowed.

The Carrionites, apparently freed from the crystal that the younger witch was holding, were flying about the Globe.

"Can't I just, I don't know, stake them or something?" I yelled.

"No! Absolutely not." the Doctor yelled at me. He grabbed Shakespeare and shook him a little bit.

"Come on, Will! History needs you!"

"But what can I do?"

"Reverse it!"

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"The shape of the Globe gives words power, but you're the wordsmith, the one true genius. The only man clever enough to do it!"

"But what words? I have none ready!"

I couldn't even believe what I was hearing. I pushed the Doctor aside and grabbed Shakespeare by the collar of his, well, garb, I guess.

"You're William Shakespeare!" I shouted. "I've got all kinds of faith in you that you can think of something. Now stop being a pansy and start talking!"

"But these Carrionite phrases, the need such precision!" he countered.

"Trust yourself. When you're locked away in your room, the words just come, don't they? Like magic. Words of the right sound, the right shape, the right rhythm — words that last forever! That's what you do, Will! You choose perfect words. Do it. Improvise!" the Doctor yelled.

"Close up this den of hateful, dire decay! Decomposition of your witches' plot! You thieve my brains, consider me your toy. My doting Doctor tells me I am not!" Shakespeare started.

"No! Words of power!" the young witch gasped.

"Foul Carrionite specters, cease your show! Between the points..."

Shakespeare stopped and looked at the Doctor for help.

"Seven-Six-One-Three-Nine-Oh!" the Doctor yelled.

"Seven-Six-One-Three-Nine-Oh! And banished like a tinker's cuss, I say to thee..."

Again, Shakespeare stopped and looked to the Doctor, who, for once, was at a loss.

A single word popped into my head. I said a mental 'thank you' to Dawn for making me take her to see those movies at theatre.

"Expelliarmus!" I yelled.

"Expelliarmus!" the Doctor shouted excitedly.

"Expelliarmus!" Shakespeare said, finishing his lines.

"Good old JK!" the Doctor shouted again.

The Carrionites let out a horrifying series of screams.

"The deep darkness! They are consumed!" the younger witch screamed.

The red energy cloud that had let the Carrionites out, sucked them all back in, including the three escapees, who were now also trapped in the glass orb.

"'Love's Labours Won'. There it goes." the Doctor said.

The cloud dissipated and the audience sighed in relief. They began applauding and I can't even believe that I forgot that they were there to begin with. The Doctor, Shakespeare and I ducked out as the actors took their bows.

"They think it was all special effects." I said, disbelievingly. "I wish someone would've thought of that back in Sunnydale."

"Your effect is special indeed." Shakespeare quoted at me.

I rolled my eyes and suppressed the laughter that was trying to creep up."

"It's not your best line." I said.

The Doctor walked up to where the Carrionites had been, grabbed the globe and came back down to join us.

The next morning, I found myself sitting on the stage next to Shakespeare.  
>"And I say, a heart for a hart and a dear for a deer…"<p>

"I don't get the joke." I said, confused.

"Then give me a joke from California."

"Well, I'm not really one for jokes…there's usually just lots of drama in my life."

He wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Come here." he said.

"Ah, no. No no no." I said, sliding myself out of his arms.

"The Doctor might never kiss you. Why not entertain a man who will?"

"I kissed him. And he kissed back. We kiss. A lot. Also, I don't know how to tell you this, oh great genius, but your breath...not the best."

The Doctor emerged, finally, from backstage wearing a poufy collar and carrying an animal skull.

"Good props store back there! I'm not sure about this though," he said, looking at the skull. "Reminds me of a Sycorax."

"Sycorax. Nice word. I'll have that off you as well, since I apparently can't have anything but your words." Shakespeare said, eyeing me.

"I should be on 10%. How's your head?" the Doctor asked.

"Still aching."

"Here, I got you this." The Doctor removed the collar and put it on Shakespeare's neck

"Neck brace. Wear that for a few days till it's better, although you might wanna keep it. It suits you."

"I've got new ideas. Perhaps it's time I wrote about fathers and sons. In memory of my boy — my precious Hamnet." Shakespeare said.

"Hamnet?" I asked.

"That's him." he answered.

"Ham-_net_?" I said, again.

"What's wrong with that?" Shakespeare asked.

"Anyway, time we were off. I've got a nice attic in the TARDIS where this lot  
>can scream for all eternity. Then, Buffy and I've got other…places to be." the Doctor said, grabbing my hand.<p>

"You mean travel on through time and space." Shakespeare deadpanned.

The Doctor's eyes widened.

"You what?" he stammered.

I suppressed more laughter.

"You're from another world like the Carrionites and Buffy is from the future. It's not hard to work out."

"That's... incredible. You are incredible." the Doctor bemused, grinning.

"We're alike in many ways, Doctor. Buffy, let me say goodbye to you in a new verse. A sonnet for my delicate golden beauty. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate—-"

He was cut off by his actors rushing in.

"Will! Will! You'll never believe it! She's here! She's turned up!"

"We're the talk of the Town. She heard about last night! She wants us to perform it again."

"Who?" I asked.

"Her Majesty! She's here!"

Fanfare began as Elizabeth I entered.

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped.

Giles would be so jealous right now.

"Queen Elizabeth I!" the Doctor yelled excitedly.

The Queen stopped in her tracks and stared at the Doctor, with a…not so friendly glare in her eyes.

"Doctor!" she yelled.

The Doctor straightened up at her recognizing of him.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"My sworn enemy!" she yelled.

"What?" he said again.

"Off with his head!"

"What?" he exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed his hand.

"Never mind 'what', just run! See you, Shakespeare!" I said, as I pulled the Doctor away.

"Stop that pernicious Doctor!" the Queen yelled to her guards.

I distinctly thought I could hear Shakespeare laughing.

We ran as fast we could, through the streets, towards the TARDIS.

Being the Slayer, I'm definitely skilled in the running department. The whole 'being-a-natural-at-athletics' thing.

That day, I learned just how skilled my Doctor was at running too.

"Stop in the name of the Queen!" a guard yelled, as we dodged citizens.

"What in the hell did you do to piss her off?" I asked, as we were running.

"How should I know? Haven't even met her yet. That's time travel for you! Still, can't wait to find out!"

We reached the TARDIS in record time. He pulled out the key, unlocked it and I ran in.

"That's something to look forward to, though, I guess!"

I reached out and pulled him in, shutting the door, just as several arrows landed in the door.

He ran up to the console and within a matter of seconds, we were dematerializing.

I walked up and stood behind him at the console. I set my head on his shoulder. He leaned over and kissed me on the forehead.

"How was your second adventure into the world of time traveling?" he asked.

"If I've learned anything from this trip…..well, Shakespeare's kind of a creep."

The Doctor laughed. "Oh Buffy."

"What? He put his arms around me and totally tried to kiss me before we left."

I felt the Doctor tense up. "He did what?"

I lifted my head and patted him on the shoulder.

"Ah, jealousy. I remember that feeling from just last night." I said, leaning on the console.

He looked at me curiously.

"I wasn't asleep when the witch cast her little spell. I just…fell. It was weird. It was kind of like…like…well, it was like her power and the inner Slayer were fighting it out. But inside of me. That sounds really weird. And kind of stupid." I said, amending it.

"It's not weird." the Doctor said. "It makes perfect sense. The Carrionites power is all about words and names and all that kind of…mumbo jumbo. On any normal human being, that probably would've knocked them right out cold. But on you, no. You have that whole wonderful inner Slayer, weaving herself and her power throughout every vein in your body. And I imagine it's probably even more powerful now that you and Willow released the Slayer essence. She just simply picked the wrong person to try and curse."

I nodded my head. "Okay, that does make sense, I guess. Thank God you're a genius." I said, kissing him.

He pulled out of the kiss but his face was still just inches from mine. "You mentioned jealousy?"

"Yeah. When she was talking all that handsome stuff about you. I swear, if I could've moved, she would've been flying out that window a completely different way."

The Doctor laughed. "I can see we're going to have to work on that little violence issue of yours."

I rolled my eyes. "Where are we off to next?" I asked, leaning back against the console, changing the subject.

"Well, I'm taking the TARDIS' defenses down for just a bit so I can tinker and work some stuff out, but then we can go wherever you like." he smiled, moving over and wrapping his arms around my waist.

I smiled back. I was about to go in for another kiss when I thought I heard a loud ship's horn. Very suddenly, something crashed into the TARDIS, sending both the Doctor and I crashing to the floor.

"Are you alright, Buffy?" he asked.

"I should be asking if you're okay. You're the one that broke my fall." I asked, rolling off of him.

He sat up, partially, and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

I looked over to see what had him in shock and, once again, my jaw dropped.

There was the bow of a rather large ocean liner sticking through the TARDIS wall.

"What?" the Doctor said, perplexed.

I coughed loudly, from the dust falling down.

"What?" the Doctor exclaimed again.

Apparently, it was the only word he could think of. No worries though, at least he was voicing his bafflement. I basically just sat there with my mouth open, inhaling TARDIS dust.

There was a life preserver sitting to the Doctor's left. He crawled over to it and I followed him.

My eyebrows raised and my jaw dropped open even more as I read the back of it.

_'TITANIC'_

_"What?"_


	4. Voyage of the Damned

**Disclaimer:** BBC/RTD still own DW & Joss still owns Buffy. This is my favorite DW Christmas special so of course Buffy had to be integrated in! I have a feeling that it's going to be a multiple part-er, as it's an extra long episode! =)

* * *

><strong> Voyage of the Damned: Part One<strong>

"Where are we off to next?" I asked, leaning back against the console.

"Well, I'm taking the TARDIS' defenses down for just a bit so I can tinker and work some stuff out, but then we can go wherever you like." he smiled, moving over and wrapping his arms around my waist.

I smiled back. I was about to go in for a kiss when I thought I heard a loud ship's horn. Very suddenly, something crashed into the TARDIS, sending both the Doctor and I crashing to the floor.

"Are you alright, Buffy?" he asked.

"I should be asking if you're okay. You're the one that broke my fall." I asked, rolling off of him.

He sat up, partially, and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

I looked over to see what had him in shock and, once again, my jaw dropped.

There was the bow of a rather large ocean liner sticking through the TARDIS wall.

"What?" the Doctor said, perplexed.

I coughed loudly, from the dust falling down.

"What?" the Doctor said again.

Apparently, it was the only word he could think of. No worries though, at least he was voicing his bafflement. I basically just sat there with my mouth open, inhaling TARDIS dust, which just couldn't be healthy.

There was a life preserver sitting to the Doctor's left. He crawled over to it and I followed him.

My eyebrows raised and my jaw dropped open even more as I read the back of it.

_'TITANIC'_

_"What?" _

The Doctor stood up and walked over to the console. He pushed a bunch of random buttons and closed the hole in the TARDIS, pushing out the ship. He reached for a lever and within seconds, we were materializing inside of the ship.

He bent down and helped me up to my feet.

"You stay here, okay? I'm just going to step outside for a quick minute to see what this is all about. I'll be right back. I promise."

He walked towards the TARDIS doors, but I beat him there.

"Yeah, right. Okay. Like I'm going to sit tight here while you go investigate."

"I probably should know better than that by now, huh?" he smiled.

"And here I thought you were a genius." I mocked.

He smiled and opened the doors.

We were in a supply closet.

"Nice landing job."

He rolled his eyes at me and we stepped out of the room, into the next. This room was much more lavish than the supply closet. It was wood-paneled and decorated for Christmas. The people mingling about were dressed in early twentieth century tuxes and luxurious dresses while fancy waiters passed around appetizers and champagne. There was even a band playing Christmas music.

I looked back to see the Doctor staring at two gold angels, dressed in white. I walked up to him and took his hand.

"They're clearly robots." I said.

He smiled, nodded and walked me over to the window.

My breath caught in my throat and my eyes widened.

Okay, forget it.

I could still totally be surprised.

"Riiiiiiiiight." the Doctor said, proving that his disbelief was just as much as mine.

A man's voice came over the PA system.

"Attention all passengers. The Titanic is now in orbit above Sol 3, also known as Earth. Population: Human. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Christmas."

We were totally floating through space on a ship modeled after the Titanic.

I mean, what could go wrong with that, right?

The Doctor pulled me away from the window, back towards the supply closet and the TARDIS.

"What are you doing? And how is it Christmas? It was the end of May when we left LA."

He smirked. "Oh, the joys of time travel. We're a long, looong way from home, sweetheart. It feels like the same day to you, and in a way, it is, however, to all your loved ones at home, you've been gone for a good six or seven months, I'd say. At least."

"And why are we back in the TARDIS? Because you realize that nothing good can come out of being on a ship that's modeled after the Titanic? Good. Let's go."

"No, I brought us back in so we could dress properly. We can't be at a party like that looking like this." he said, pointing to our clothes.

"Says the man that only owns two suits and wears bright red shoes with navy."

He rolled his eyes. "Go change. The wardrobe is right over there, down that hall, well, in that general direction. The TARDIS, she'll guide you there. Pick something classy." he smiled.

I sighed and did as he said. My clothes were a bit grungy now that I thought about it. I mean, I'd been in them for three, almost four days. With no shower.

Ick.

I decided to stop off at the bathroom first and take an uber quick shower. After that, I rejoined my path to the wardrobe room.

Once in the wardrobe room, and let's just sit on that precious little gem for a second, a whole room filled with clothes—and shoes-from every style and fashion imaginable.

Hello Buffy, welcome back to Heaven.

I only had to sift through a few racks until I found the perfect dress.

It was red, for Christmas, obviously, and long—floor length. Mermaid style with some super cute ruffles that were cut vertically at the bottom. I wrapped a cute little black belt around the middle of it. The only thing that was regrettable about it is the fact that it was strapless. I was certain that by the end of the evening, I was going to regret choosing a strapless dress.

I chose a cute pair of retro black pumps to go underneath it, which I was also fairly certain that I was going to regret wearing after a bit. I quickly ran a brush through my hair and tousled it into a cheater's up do with a clip and I was on my way back to the console room.

I walked carefully down the stairs, quickly noticing the Doctor's fancy tux. He turned around and his eyes said that he was annoyed at how long it took me to get ready. However, he took one look at me and grinned my favorite silly grin.

"How do I look?" I asked, striking a pose.

"Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous." He held out his arm. "Shall we join the party, Miss Summers?"

I walked the rest of the way down the stairs and took his arm.

"Yes, let's." I said, as distinguished as I could manage.

We walked back out into the supply closet and through to the next room, rejoining the party.

I kept my arm entwined tightly with the Doctor's. This party seemed all kinds Richie rich and I just didn't speak that.

A steward walked past us. "Merry Christmas, sir. Madam." he said, cheerfully.

"Merry Christmas!" we both replied back.

"He called me 'Madam'. I might have to go back and kick him." I whispered to the Doctor.

"Do you always solve everything with violence?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No. Not everything. I can usually get through breakfast with little to no violence."

The serious expression stayed on his face.

"I'm kidding." I said.

He kept the look going.

"Okay. Mostly kidding." I amended.

He laughed and we walked on.

We walked up to one of the creepy robotic angels.

"Evening. Passenger 57. Terrible memory. Remind me. Uh, you would be..."

"Information: Heavenly Host supplying tourist information." it said.

"Good, so, um... tell me - 'cause I'm an idiot - where are we from?" the Doctor asked.

"Information: the Titanic is en route from the planet Sto in the Cassavalian Belt. The purpose of the cruise is to experience primitive cultures."

"Titanic. Um...who... thought of the name?" I asked.

"Information: it was chosen as the most famous vessel of the planet Earth."

"Did they tell you why it was famous?" I asked again.

"Information: all designations are chosen by Mr. Max Capricorn, president of Max - Max - Max..."

The robot started to glitch, repeating the name 'Max'

"Ooh, bit of a glitch." the Doctor said, reaching into his pocket, presumably for his sonic doo-hickey.

One of the steward's quickly ran over.

"Sir, we can handle this."

He waved over two other steward's who switched off the robot and then promptly took it away.

He turned back to the Doctor and I.

"Software problem, that's all. Leave it with us, sir. Merry Christmas."  
>He left, quickly following after the other two stewards.<p>

The Doctor and I exchanged a glance and continued on into the reception room, where the party seemed to be in full swing.

Right as we walked in, a pretty blonde waitress bumped into one of the Richie-Rich's and shattered her tray of drinks on the floor.

"For Tov's sake, look where you're going! This jacket's a genuine Earth antique."

"I'm sorry, sir." she said, kneeling down to pick up the broken glass.

"You'll be sorry when it comes off your wages, sweetheart. Staffed by idiots. No wonder Max Capricorn is going down the drain." Richie-Rich said, storming off.

The Doctor and I both walked over and bent down to help her pick up the broken glass, as there was a lot of it.

"Careful. There we go." the Doctor said, smiling.

"Thank you, sir, madam. But I can manage."

"Never said you couldn't. I'm the Doctor, by the way. And this is Buffy."

"Hello." I waved, brightly.

"Astrid. Astrid Peth."

"Nice to meet you, Astrid Peth. Merry Christmas."

"Uh, Merry Christmas, sir."

She sounded surprised that we were even talking to her.

"Just 'Doctor', not 'sir'." I said. "He gets really cranky when you call him 'sir'"

"You two enjoying the cruise?"

"Um...Yeah, I suppose. I don't know." the Doctor said.

Astrid looked at him curiously.

"We're enjoying the cruise just fine." I said, plastering a semi-false smile on my face.

"It's just the two of you, then? Are you on your honeymoon? Isn't that what the Earth humans call it?"

"Oh no, no. No. We're not married." the Doctor said.

"Oh." Astrid said, with a far too lovely smile growing on her face.

"We're together but not married." I said, hoping she would get my meaning.

"Oh." she said again, this time, a little more flatly. I think she got it. She turned for one moment to get her tray from where it had landed behind her. I took that opportunity to glare at the Doctor and elbow him in the ribs.

"What?" he mouthed.

I rolled my eyes at him and Astrid turned back around. I plastered my smile back on.

"So, What about you? Long way from home, Planet Sto." the Doctor asked.

"Doesn't feel that different. I spent three years working at the spaceport diner, traveled all the way here...and I'm still waiting on tables." she said, walking away.

The Doctor grabbed my hand and we followed her.

"No shore leave?" the Doctor asked.

"We're not allowed. They can't afford the insurance. I just wanted to try it, just once. I used to watch the ships heading off to the stars and I always dreamt of...It sounds daft." she said, clearing off a table.

"I know the feeling." I said, referencing her kind of, sort of imprisonment. Just like a Slayer and her Hellmouth. No leaving until the job is done. And really, when is the job ever done? Exactly. It isn't.

Well, unless you blow said Hellmouth up into a giant crater-y canyon thing.

"You dreamt of another sky. New sun, new air, new life. A whole universe teeming with life. Why stand still when there're all that life out there?" the Doctor said, finishing Astrid's sentence.

"So...you two, you travel a lot?" she asked, changing the subject.

"All the time, for me. Just for fun. Well, that's the plan. Never quite works. This is Buffy's third trip with me."

"Third with many more in the future." I said, cheerfully. "Well, hopefully." I added on.

"Must be rich, though." Astrid said, as she continued to clear off tables.

"Haven't got a penny between the two of us." the Doctor smiled. "Stowaways." he added with a whisper.

Astrid's eyes looked like they were about to bug out of her head.

"You're kidding!"

"Seriously." I said.

"No!" she said, again, in disbelief.

"Oh, yeah. This one's quite the rebel. It was all her idea." the Doctor said pointing at me, with a grin.

Astrid turned to clear off another table behind her.

I glared at the Doctor. He just grinned wider. I held up my fist.

"Violence?" he mouthed. "Tsk tsk tsk."

I shook my head and let a little laugh escape.

"How did you get on board?" Astrid asked me, turning back around.

"By accident. He's got this, sort of, ship thing and…well, I don't know what happened, actually."

"I was just rebuilding her, my ship, that is. Left the defenses down, bumped into the Titanic. Here I am. Bit of a party, I thought 'Why not?'" the Doctor said, chiming in.

"I should report the two of you." Astrid said, seriously.

"Go on then." the Doctor said, with a smile.

"We're pretty good at running. Well, I usually am. Maybe not in this dress." I added.

"I'll get you both a drink...on the house." Astrid whispered.

She walked away. I turned and smacked the Doctor across the chest.

"Ow! Violence! What in the hell was that for?" he said, rubbing the spot where I hit him.

"It's all my idea?"

"Just a bit of a joke, love. That's all."

I stood glaring at him.

"That's apparently not all, is it?"

"She likes you."

"Well, yeah I thought our conversation went fairly well…"

I rolled my eyes.

"No, she likes you." I emphasized 'likes'.

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Oh."

"Yeah. Oh."

"So that's why you elbowed me."

"Mmhmm." I nodded.

He took my hands in his and pulled me close to him.

"You silly humans. So so emotional." he smiled.

I relaxed my shoulders and set my head on his shoulder.

"Well I've had a long series of days. Months. Whatever. Time traveling is confusing."

He laughed. "It certainly can be, yes."

Our nice little moment was interrupted by raucous laughter. We pulled away and noticed a group of obvious first class passengers laughing hysterically and pointing at a heavier couple sitting down at one of the dinner tables.

It made me feel like I was in high school again, with Cordelia and the 'Cordettes'.

I looped my arm in the Doctor's and we walked over to their table. The Doctor pulled my chair out for me.

Weird.

"Something's tickled them." the Doctor said, sitting next to me.

"They told us it was fancy dress. Very funny, I'm sure." said the lady.

They were wearing full on country and western gear, straight from Memphis. Or maybe Texas. Surprisingly, country and western items aren't my area of expertise.

"They're just pickin' on us because we haven't paid. We won our tickets in a competition." said the man.

"I had to name the five husbands of Joofie Crystalle in "By the Light of the Asteroid". Did you ever watch..." the lady started.

"Is that the one with the twins?" the Doctor asked.

"That's it. Oh, it's marvelous!" the lady answered.

I was confused, as usual, so I just sat back and put on that fake smile I was getting so good at.

"Probably not good enough for that lot. They think we should be in steerage." the man said, motioning towards the first class group.

I noticed that the Richie Rich that Astrid had dealt with earlier was part of the group.

I was picturing him as Cordelia.

"Can't have that, can we?" the Doctor said, with a sly smile.

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the sonic screw driver. He hid it at his side and aimed behind him, towards the first class jerks. Suddenly, the champagne bottle on their table popped it's cork, spraying all of them.

I grinned a real grin this time.

"Did - Did you do that?" the lady asked.

"Maybe." the Doctor grinned, putting the screwdriver back in his pocket.

"We like you." the lady said with a smile.

"We do." the man agreed. "I'm Morvin van Hoff and this is my good woman, Foon." the man said, reaching out and shaking the Doctor's hand.

The Doctor reached his hand out to Foon and shook hers as well.

"Foon, Morvin. Hello. I'm the Doctor. And this is my, uh,-"

"I'm his girlfriend, Buffy." I said, reaching out to shake both of their hands.

He sure was having a hard time saying that tonight.

"Are you a doctor too?" Foon asked.

I heard the Doctor suppress a small amount of laughter.

"No, I'm not a doctor." I smiled. "Just Buffy."

"Ooh, I'm gonna need a Doctor by the time I'm finished with this buffet. Have a buffalo wing. They must be enormous, these buffalo, so many wings." Foon said.

Foon handed the Doctor and I each a chicken wing. I wondered briefly if the actual Titanic served chicken wings but then banished the thought quickly, settling on probably not.

We sat at the table with the van Hoffs for a few moments, exchanging pleasant banter when the PA announcer cut through again.

Attention please. Shore leave tickets Red 6-7 now activated. Red 6-7.

Foon reached into her pocket and took out a ticket.

"Red 6-7. That's us." she said, standing. "Are you Red 6-7?"

The Doctor and I exchanged a glance.

"Might as well be." I said.

He stood up and held out his arm for me.

"Come on." Morvin said, putting his arm around Foon. "We're going to Earth."


	5. Voyage of the Damned: Part Two

**Disclaimer:** I ***do*** own DW & Buffy? Waahhhoooo!

Oh… wait, no. That was just a dream. Oh, Le sigh. They are still owned by the usual. hahaha 

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five: Voyage of the Damned, Part Two<strong>

I slid my arm into the Doctor's and we followed the van Hoffs over to where an older man was standing. He completely reminded me of Giles, if Giles were about twenty years older. Right down to the tweed suit.

I leaned into the Doctor and whispered into his ear.

"That guy makes me miss Giles."

The Doctor smiled and I think I heard him suppress another laugh.

"We can always go home after this, if you'd like." he whispered back.

"What? So he can have me start cataloging the new Council? Hell no."

The Doctor grinned.

"You're grinning because you know it's true." I said.

"Red 6-7. Red 6-7. This way, fast as you can." the Giles-like man said.

The van Hoffs rushed over, with The Doctor and I in tow. Astrid came up behind us.

"I got you those drinks." she said, smiling.

The Doctor gave me a look and I knew immediately what he was asking, even if he was asking it with his eyes.

I nodded my head; he smiled and mouthed 'good girl.'

"And I got you a treat. Come on, with us Astrid." he said, taking the tray from her and setting it down.

"Red 6-7 departing shortly." the Giles-like man said again.

The Doctor took out his psychic paper and held it up.

"Red 6-7. plus two."

"Uh, quickly, sir, and please take three teleport bracelets if you would."

"I'll get the sack." Astrid whispered.

The Doctor handed Astrid and I a teleport bracelet each.

"Brand new sky." he said.

"Eh, working is way overrated anyway." I said with a smile.

The Giles-like man indicated that it was time we shut up and listen.

"To repeat, I am Mr. Copper, the ship's historian, and I shall be taking you to old London town in the country of U.K. ruled over by good King Wenceslas. Now human beings worshipped the great god Santa, a creature with fearsome claws, and his wife Mary. And every Christmas Eve the people of U.K. go to war with the country of Turkey. They then eat the Turkey people for Christmas dinner... like savages."

The Doctor and I exchanged 'what-in-the-hell?' glances.

"Excuse me, sorry, but, um...where did you get all that information from?" I asked.

"Well, I have a first class degree in Earthonomics. Now stand by…" Mr. Copper said.

A high pitched voice rang out from the back of our little group.

"And me! And me! Red 6-7!"

The owner of the voice was an incredibly short red-skinned…demon? Alien? with short spikes along his head.

"Well, take a bracelet, sir." Mr. Copper said.

"Uh, but, um, hold on, hold on. What was your name?" the Doctor asked.

"Bannakaffalatta."

"OK, Bannakaffalatta. But it's Christmas Eve down there. Late-night shopping, tons of people. He's like a walking conker. No offence, but you'll cause a riot 'cause the streets are going to be packed with shoppers and parties…" the Doctor said but was cut off because we were suddenly teleported down to Earth.

The Doctor and I looked around, both steadily confused.

"Now, spending money - I have a credit card in Earth currency if you want to by trinkets or, uh, stockings or the local delicacy, which is known as "beef" but don't stray too far, it could be dangerous. Any day now they start boxing." Mr. Copper said.

I was really starting to wonder about that degree in Earthonomics.

The Doctor and I strayed off, just a tiny bit from the group, looking around, with Astrid in tow, completely in awe.

"I don't understand this." I said. "The streets should be full. It should be busy. Something's wrong."

The Doctor nodded in agreement.

"But it's beautiful…" Astrid said.

I raised my eyebrows at her statement.

"Really? Do you think so? It's just a street. The pyramids are beautiful, and New Zealand…" the Doctor said.

"But it's a different planet. I'm standing on a different planet. Th-there's concrete...and shops, alien shops, real alien shops! Look, no stars in the sky. And it smells. It stinks!" she gasped. "This is amazing! Thank you!"

She leaned over and hugged the Doctor, who in turn quickly shoved her off, as politely as possible.

"Yeah? Come on then, let's have a look." he said, grabbing my hand.

We crossed the street and stopped at a newsstand, where an older man sat inside, bundled tightly against the cold.

"Hello there! Sorry, uh, obvious question, but where's everybody gone?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh-ho, scared!" the old man answered.

"Scared of what?" I asked.

"Where have you been living? London at Christmas? Not safe, is it?" he responded.

"Why?" I asked, again.

"Well, it's them, up above." he said, pointing to the sky. "Look, Christmas before last we had that big bloody spaceship, everyone standing on a roof. And then last year, that Christmas Star electrocuting all over the place, draining the Thames."

I stared at the Doctor, knowing, without a doubt, that those recollections had everything to do with him.

"This place is amazing." Astrid said.

"Eh, it's alright. California is warmer." I replied.

"And this year, Lord knows what. So everybody's scampered, gone to the country. All except me...and Her Majesty." the old man said, motioning to the television inside his stand. It was playing a news story about the Queen staying put in Buckingham Palace.

"Well, between you and me, I think her Majesty's got it right. Far as I know, this year, nothing to worry about." the Doctor said.

I rolled my eyes. I was going to have to seriously teach him about jinxes. Because I'm pretty sure that's what he did, jinx us.

Suddenly, we were teleported straight back to the Titanic.

"I was in mid-sentence." the Doctor said, annoyed.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that. A bit of a problem. If I could have your bracelets -" Mr. Copper said.

One of the stewards walked to us.

"Apologies, ladies and gentlemen, Bannakaffalatta, we seem to have suffered a slight power fluctuation. If you'd like to return to the festivities. And on behalf of Max Capricorn Cruise liners, free drinks will be provided." he said.

Every one dispersed except for the Doctor, Astrid and myself.

"That was the best, the best!" she whispered to the Doctor and then she left too.

"What sort of power fluctuation?" the Doctor asked the steward.

He thoroughly ignored the Doctor and turned away.

"Huh, rude much?" I said.

"Again, I say, and you lot call me rude?"

I smiled. "Oh shut up."

"See! That was extremely rude!"

I glanced around to make sure there were no eyes on us and I pulled him in and kissed him as passionately as I could while in public.

"Rude? Who's being rude?" he asked, when I finally broke it off.

The Doctor seemed to notice something over my shoulder and walked off. I, of course, followed.

It was a framed screen showing a video loop of the owner of the cruise line, Max Capricorn.

_"...and I should know because my name is Max."_

The Doctor pulled his glasses out of his pocket and took out the sonic doo-hickey, using it on the frame.

_"The fastest, the furthest, the best...my name is Max."_

The Doctor opened the frame and buzzed the sonic around until the screen showed the Titanic and her immediate surroundings.

"Oh, that's weird." he said, mostly to himself.

"It mostly just looks graph-y to me." I said.

"The shields are down and-"

He didn't finish his sentence. He raced over to the window and looked out.

"No, no no. Not good. Not good at all." he said, in a mild panic.

"What is it?" I asked, racing over to the window.

"A meteoroid storm." he whispered.

A whistle sounded and the Doctor ran back over to the comm.  
>"Is that the bridge? I need to talk to the captain. You've got a meteoroid storm coming in West 0 by North 2."<p>

"Who is this?" the man on the other end asked.

I pulled myself away from the window and back to the Doctor's side.

"Never mind that. Your shields are down. Check your scanners, Captain. You've got meteoroids coming in!"

"You have no authorization. You will clear the comms at once." the Captain stated.

"Yeah? Just look starboard!" the Doctor yelled into the comm.

Suddenly, three stewards appeared, one on either side of the Doctor and I, with the third standing off to the side, handing out directions.

"You'll both be coming with us, sir. Madam."

I groaned. "I really wish people would stop calling me that!"

"Buffy, not really the time for that." the Doctor yelled back to me, as we were escorted away.

* * *

><p>We were led away towards the reception area, the Doctor still arguing.<p>

"You've got a rock storm heading for this ship and the shields are down!"

As soon as we were in the reception area, the Doctor nodded his head towards me. I wiggled my right arm a little bit, trying to make it look like I was attempting at getting loose.

"Oh no you don't, little girl." said the steward that had a hold of me.

He released some pressure from my left arm to stop my attempt. As soon as he did, I elbowed him with my left, causing him to drop my right arm. When he dropped my right arm, I punched him in the face, knocking him out.

The Doctor broke free from the steward that was holding him and ran up onto the stage, where the band was playing. I punched that steward, knocking him out as well. You know. Just incase. I followed the Doctor.

"Everyone, listen to me! This is an emergency! Get to the lifeb -" the Doctor started.

The golden angel things grabbed us both from behind and pulled us away.  
>We were being dragged out a little more….forcibly this time. We passed a small gathering on our way out, one of which was Richie-Rich. Aka the one I had named in honor of Cordelia.<p>

"Look out the windows!" the Doctor yelled towards them

Astrid, Richie-Rich and the van Hoffs looked amongst each other.

"Listen to him!" I yelled. "Look out the damn window!"

They slowly walked towards the window. I noticed that Banana-kaff-latte (whatever his name is) excuse himself from a conversation and follow the van Hoffs to the window.

"Him, friend." said Banana-kaff-latte.

Listen. I know that's not his name. But it's long. And difficult. And I feel like it belongs in one of Giles' books. So that's what I'm calling him. Banana-kaff-latte.

We were over taken by more stewards, who were being quite a bit less friendly.

"If you don't believe me, check the shields yourself!" the Doctor yelled.

"Sir, I can vouch for them both!" Astrid yelled.

"Look, Steward, they's just had a bit too much to drink." Morvin said, calmly.

"Sir, something seems to have gone wrong. All the teleports are down." Mr. Copper said, walking up to the steward that had a rough hold on me.

The steward that was probably going to pay greatly later on for having a rough hold on me.

"Take your hands off of me!" I shouted.

"Not now!" the steward yelled.

"Oh, you are _so_ going to regret this. I swear to it. Your face is going to be so very broken." I said, angrily.

For once the Doctor didn't comment on my violent threat.

"You know, she's right. I wouldn't be on her bad side, if I were you." the Doctor agreed.

Suddenly, a small piece of rock broke through a window and landed at Richie-Rich's feet.

"Oxygen membrane holding. Oxygen membrane holding." one of the computer's said, starting up.

Richie-Rich turned to one of the angel things.

"You there. Has anyone checked the external shielding?"

"Information: you are all going to die."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Great. Just frickin' great."

* * *

><p>We were instantly pulled out of the room after that. We were being shoved through the maintenance corridors, with Astrid, Mr. Copper, Banana-kaff-latte and the van Hoffs following behind us.<p>

"The shields are down, we are going to get hit." the Doctor state, as calmly as possible.

Everyone began talking at once. I, personally, was getting a headache.  
>"Oi! Steward! I'm telling you the shields are down!" Richie-Rich said, catching up to us.<p>

"Listen to him! Listen to him!" the Doctor shouted.

Suddenly, the ship lurched violently, throwing us all to the floor.

We had clearly been hit by the meteoroids.

Thankfully, it had knocked the Doctor and I out of our captor's hands.

Unfortunately, however, it had also knocked down a beam, not on me, but definitely trapping me against the wall.

Needless to stay, I was having a bit of trouble standing up.

The Doctor stood up first and rushed over to me.

"Buffy? Buffy? Are you alright, love? Are you hurt? Is the beam actually on you?" he asked rapidly.

"Yes I'm okay. Just a little bruising. No, it's not on me. It's just blocking my way." I answered back, just as quickly.

"Can you move it at all?" he asked.

"Don't be ridiculous. That beam is fifty times her size and about one hundred times her weight." Richie-Rich said, in a really annoyingly, condescending way.

"I'd move back if I were you." I said to the Doctor. He did as I said, for once, and moved out of the way.

I put a little bit of my strength into it and shoved the beam out of the way, sending it flying into the wall across from me.

The Doctor came back over and held out his hand, to help me stand.

"Go. Help the others." I said.

I walked over to Richie-Rich, who was now wearing an amazed expression on his face.

"As it turns out, size doesn't matter." I winked.

The Doctor was helping Astrid. I walked over and joined them, taking the Doctor's hand.

"Bad name for a ship. Either that or this suit is really unlucky." he said.

"Can I say 'I told you so' yet?" I asked.

He kneeled down to examine one of the stewards but before he could I pronounced him dead.

"And how in the world do you know that?" Richie-Rich asked.

"I'm not your average Earthy human. I'm kind of a…super hero. Yeah. That's it. I'm a super hero. Well, heroine I guess. Anyway, if he was alive, I'd be able to hear his heartbeat. And I can't. Therefore, he is dead."

_"My name is Max. My name is Max. My name is Max."_ the comm. started up again.

"Ev-everyone... Ladies and gentlemen, Bannakaffalatta, I must apologize on behalf of Max Capricorn Cruiseliners. We seem to have had a small collision." the living steward said.

The Doctor looked around for a minute until he found the comm panel that Max Capricorn's voice was coming from.

"Small? You call that a _small_ collision?" Morvin asked.

"You know how much I paid for my ticket?" Richie-Rich asked.

"If I could have silence, ladies, gentlemen…" the steward said again.

However, everyone chose to ignore him and start arguing again.

"Quiet!" the steward yelled.

Everyone stopped arguing at the sound of him yelling.

"Thank you. I-I'm sure Max Capricorn Cruise liners will be able to reimburse you for any inconvenience. But first I would point out that we are very much alive."

"Not all of us." I said dryly. "Some of us are injured as well." I added on, motioning to Mr. Copper. Astrid was dabbing at the cut on his head.

The Doctor walked over then, away from the comm. panel.

"She is, after all, a fine, sturdy ship. If you could all stay here while I ascertain the exact nature of the - the situation." the steward said.

He walked over and went to open a hatch.

"Don't open it!" the Doctor shouted.

But it was too late. The steward opened the hatch and was sucked out into space.

Everyone instantly had to grab a hold of something-anything-that was near. The Doctor inched his way over to the comm. and used the sonic to replace the shield. A few seconds later and the oxygen was stabilized.

"Is everyone alright? Buffy? Astrid?"

"Yeah." Astrid said, panting.

I just nodded and gave a thumbs up.

"Foon? Morvin? Mr Copper? Bannakaffalatta?"

"Yes." Banana-kaff-latte answered.

"You, What was your name?" the Doctor asked Richie-Rich.

"Ah, Rickston Slade."

"You alright?"

"No thanks to that idiot." he answered.

Hello. Welcome back Ms. Chase. Or, well, Mr. Chase I guess. Whatever.

"That man is dead." I said, walking over to him.

"Then he's a dead idiot." Slade said flatly.

My eyes flared and I took another step closer to him.

The Doctor read my face and grabbed a hold of my waist, pulling me back.

"Alright, calm down, love. Just stay still, all of you. Hold on." he said, letting me go and walking over to the hatch opening.

:What happened? How come the shields were down?" I whispered.

"I don't think it was an accident." he whispered back. He pointed out into space.

I let out a small gasp.

There were bodies floating all around, above Earth.

I closed my eyes to suppress any tears that might start to flow.

The Doctor wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close.

"We're alive, just focus on that. I will get you out of here, Buffy. I promise. Look at me. I promise."

I opened my eyes, looked at him and nodded. "I trust you."

"Good." He spun around, facing everyone else "Now if we can get to Reception, I've got a spaceship tucked away. We can all get on board...Oh."

"What is it? What's wrong?" Astrid asked.

"That's our spaceship over there." I said.

I _knew_ we should've just left earlier when we had the chance.

I knew it, I knew it, I knew it.

"Where?" Astrid asked.

"There, that box. That little blue box." I answered, pointing out the TARDIS as it was floating away throughout space.

"That's a spaceship?" Astrid asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Oi, don't knock it." the Doctor said, defensively.

"It's a bit small." she countered.

I smirked a little.

"A bit distant, actually. Trouble is, once it's set adrift, it's programmed to lock onto the nearest center of gravity and that would be...the Earth." the Doctor said, as we watched the TARDIS float down to Earth.


	6. Voyage of the Damned: Part Three

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them, blah blah blah.

**Voyage of the Damned, Part Three**

The Doctor shook his head and ran over to the comm. device.

"Deck 22 to the bridge. Deck 22 to the bridge. Is there anyone there?"

"This is the bridge." said a man's voice. A very young man's voice from the sounds of it.

A very young man who was hurt. But it might have only been my Slayer ears picking that up.

"Oh hello, sailor. Good to hear you. What's the situation up there?" the Doctor asked.

"We've got air. The oxygen field is holding. But the captain...He's dead. He did it." His voice started to break. "I watched while he took down the shields. There was nothing I could do. I tried. I did try."

"All right. Just stay calm. Tell me your name. What's your name?" the Doctor asked, gently.

"Midshipman Frame."

"Nice to meet you, sir. What's the state of the engines?"

"They're um... Hold on."

There was a little bit of shuffle and then a distinct 'I've been injured' groan. And I wasn't the only one that picked it up this time.

"Have you been injured?" the Doctor asked.

"I'm all right. Oh my vot. They're cycling down." he said.

"That's a nuclear storm drive, yes?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah."

"The moment they're gone, we lose orbit." the Doctor stated.

"The planet." M.F. said.

"Oh yes. If we hit the planet, the nuclear storm explodes and wipes out life on Earth. Midshipman, I need you to fire up the engine containment field and feed it back into the core." the Doctor said.

"This is never going to work." M.F. stated.

"Trust me, it'll keep the engines going until I can get to the bridge." the Doctor countered. He switched off the comm. and turned to face the rest of us.

"We're going to die!" Foon exclaimed.

"Are you saying someone's done this on purpose?" Mr. Copper asked, stunned.

"We're just a cruise ship!" Astrid exclaimed.

"Okay, okay. First things first. One: we're going to climb through this ship. B...no...two: we're going to reach the bridge. Three - or C: we're going to save the Titanic. And, coming in a very low Four or D or that little "iv" in brackets they use in footnotes...why…" the Doctor rambled.

I stopped him mid-sentence. "Let's go then." I stated, motioning for everyone to follow us. I smiled and took his hand.

"Sorry about cutting you off, but you were well on your way to a ramble fest." I whispered to him.

Saving the world didn't seem like such a burden when he was there. Well, not that it was ever a burden, per se. I mean, I know that I like living and I also liked it when living continued, uninterrupted by end-of-the-world type things.

The Doctor smirked at me and squeezed my hand tightly. We turned to walk away.

"Hang on a minute. Who put either of you in charge and who the hell are you both anyway?" Slade asked, like the jerk that he is.

The Doctor and I stopped in our tracks and turned to Jerky McJerkface.

"You have no idea who he is, do you? I mean, I really don't expect you to know me, because, you know, human from Earth here, but I at least thought you would've heard of him." I said.

"I've no idea who either of you are." Slade answered.

"I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm 903 years old and I'm the man who's gonna save your lives and all six billion of the people on the planet below. You got a problem with that?"

Slade mulled over it for a few minutes before shaking his head 'no.'  
>"In that case, allons-y!"<p>

I slowly pushed open a metal door. It was, at one point, a stairwell. Now, it was a stairwell that was covered and littered with debris. Oh, and sparking cables.

Awesome.

The Doctor pushed past me.

"Careful. Follow me." he said, taking my hand again and leading me out.

He went ahead, clearing the way as much as he could while I helped Astrid, Mr. Copper, the van Hoffs and Slade through.

"Rather ironic when this is very much in the spirit of Christmas. It's a festival of violence. They say that human beings only survive depending on whether they've been good or bad. It's barbaric." Mr. Copper said, conversationally.

The Doctor and I exchanged glances again. This guy really should get his money back from that Earth class.

"Actually, that's not true. Christmas is a time of - of peace and thanksgiving and...what am I on about? Christmas is always like this for me." he said.

I rolled my eyes. "Christmas is about family and loved ones and showing them how much you care about them with hoards and hoards of presents. And occasionally it's about trying to stop your occasionally evil, murderous ex-boyfriend from committing suicide on a cliff."

Everyone turned to stare at me.

"Okay, yeah, it's kind of always like this."

The Doctor, still clearing the debris, uncovered one of the angel things. Luckily, it appeared to be dormant.

"We've got a Host. Strength of ten. If we can mend it, we can use it to fix the rubble."

"Orrrr…." I started. "You could just let me lead the way and I could do it. Hello, super strength girl over here."

"You want me to let you plow through a bunch of dangerous debris, possibly injuring yourself in the process? Of course not. What kind of date would this be if I let that happen?" he smirked.

"A normal one." I smiled.

"Oh yes. I forget your past dating history. Vampire, controlling paranormal military guy, vampire…" he said, smirk still firmly in place.

I hit him, playfully, on the shoulder.

"Oww! Watch it, Slayer."

I rolled my eyes. "Baby."

I noticed out of my peripheral that Astrid was semi-glaring at our little exchange.

Whoops.

"We can do robotics, both of us." Morvin said, breaking up the semi-awkwardness that was now lingering.

"We worked on the milk market back on Sto. It's all robot staff." Foon agreed.

"See if you can get it working." the Doctor said. He turned back to me.

"Let's have a look." he smiled.

The van Hoffs stayed down with the robot while the rest of us climbed the stairs.

The top was blocked by wreckage, naturally.

"It's blocked." Astrid said.

Well, obviously. I wanted to say that, but I held my tongue.

"So what do we do?" the Doctor asked.

"We shift it." I said.

"That's the attitude. Rickston, Mr. Copper, and you, Bannakaffalatta... look, can I just call you Banna? It's gonna save a lot of time."

"No! Bannakaffalatta!"

"All right then, Bannakaffalatta, there's a gap in the middle. See if you can get through."

"Easy. Good." said Banana-kaff-latte. He slipped through the opening. As soon as he was through though, the ship lurched again, sending loose debris falling all over us. The Doctor jumped and covered me while the debris was falling.

"This whole thing could come crashing down any minute!" Slade yelled.

"Oh, Rickston, I forgot. Did you get our message?" the Doctor asked.

"No. What message?" Slade asked, perplexed.

"Shut up!" he yelled.

"Bannakaffalatta made it." Banana-kaff-latte said, from the other side.

"Astrid, you're small enough. You go through next. And be careful." I said, helping to  
>guide her through.<p>

"I'm fine." she said from the other side.

"Thing is, how are Mr. and Mrs. Fatso gonna get through this gap?" Slade said.

Seriously, what a jerk.

"Simple. We make the gap bigger. So get moving." I said, handing him a piece of metal.

My Slayer hearing detected crying. Apparently, Foon had overheard what the jerk had said.

"Hey, hey! Come on, sweetheart. Don't listen to him." Morvin said,

"No, but it's all my fault, though. The tickets." Foon said.

"We won them fair and square."

"I know. I never told ya. I dialed the competition line 5000 times. That's 5000 credits. I  
>might as well have paid for the tickets. I've been hiding the vone bill for months now."<p>

"5000 credits? You spent _5000_ credits?"

"Don't hate me." she said.

Morvin started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Foon asked.

"5000?" he laughed.

"We'll never pay that off."

"I know. We'll have to work 70 years you mad, bloody woman." he said, still laughing.

"You're not cross?"

"Does it matter? Look at us. You drive me barmy. I don't half love you... Mrs. van Hoff. Come here." he said.

Their laughter floated up to where the rest of us could hear.

The Doctor, Mr. Copper and I were busily clearing debris while Slade was attempting at listening in on the van Hoffs.

"What happened? Did they find a donut?" he asked.

"I can clear it from this side. Just tell me if it starts moving." Astrid said.

"What's going on up there?" the Doctor asked after several minutes of no word from Astrid or Banana-kaff-latte.

"I think Bannakaffalatta and I just got engaged." she said.

"Almost done!" Morvin yelled up to us.

"Good, good, good." the Doctor yelled down to them. He walked over to the comm.  
>"Mr. Frame, how's things?"<p>

"Doctor, I've got life signs all over the ship but they're going out one by one."

"What is it? Are they losing air?"

"No. One of them said it's the Host. It's something to do with the Host."

The Doctor and I looked down towards the van Hoffs just in time to see the Host resuming function.

"It's working!" Morvin yelled, excitedly.

The Doctor rushed down. I hurried down after him, as quick as I could in my stupid dress. The Host had Morvin by the throat.

_"Kill. Kill. Kill."_ it said, on repeat.

"Turn it off!" the Doctor yelled to Foon.

"I can't, Doctor!" she yelled.

"Go!" I yelled to her. She backed away, up the stairs. The Doctor pulled out his sonic and buzzed it all around the Host.

It didn't work.

I focused all my strength into my hands and pried Morvin free of the Host.

"Okay, go upstairs!" the Doctor yelled to Morvin.

"Run, darling, run!" Foon yelled from up the stairs.

_"Information: kill, kill, kill..."_

"Foon! Foon!"

"Slade! Get them through!" I yelled.

"No chance!" he yelled back.

The Doctor and I watched as he squirmed through the opening himself, leaving Foon, Morvin & Mr. Copper.

"Rickston!" Mr. Copper yelled, furiously.

"I'll never get through there." Foon said, disbelievingly.

"Yes, you can. Let me go first." Mr. Copper said.

Our attentions were quickly diverted from the upstairs to our current location. The Host came after me, presumably upset that I had stopped it from killing Morvin. The Doctor tried to pry it away from me.

"Doctor, I can handle this piece of scrap metal. Make sure that kid up in the bridge is safe from these things."

The Doctor ran up to the comm.

"It's the Host! They've gone berserk! Are you safe up there?"

_"Kill. Kill. Kill."_ is what came over the comm.

"Well…that doesn't sound good at all." the Doctor said, backing away from the comm.

He ran over and pulled me out of reach of the Host.

We ran back up the stairs to see Mr. Copper and Astrid trying to help Foon through the hole.

"No, I'm stuck!" Foon said.

"Come on, you can do it!" Astrid yelled from the other side.

I grabbed a piece of metal debris and used it to pry open the hole a bit wider.

"Hurry! It's going to collapse!" Mr. Copper yelled from the other side.

Foon, thankfully made it through, leaving just the Doctor, Morvin and I on the side. I could hear the Host slowly making its way after us.

"Slade, help us, damn it! Get over there and hold the other side open. I can't do it all!" I yelled through.

"No. You said you had super strength. You can do it." he replied, again, like the jerk that he was.

I rolled my eyes and pried the opening a little bit wider.

"Morvin, get through! She can't hold it forever!" the Doctor said.

Morvin appeared to be having a tougher time than Foon was.

_"Kill. Kill. Kill."_

The Host was getting closer.

"Doctor, he's stuck!" Astrid yelled from the other side.

"Yeah, I think we got that!" I yelled back.

The Doctor moved up behind him.

"Mr. van Hoff, I know we've only just met but you'll have to excuse me."

He put his hands on Morvin's bottom and shoved him, pushing Morvin through.

"That's it. We've got you. Doctor, come on, get through." Astrid yelled.

I turned to look at him, my arms were starting to give out.

"Doctor, get through!" I shouted.

The Host was right behind him.

The Doctor turned and faced it.

"Information override! You will tell me the point of origin of your command structure!"

"I can't hold it forever, you know!" I shouted again.

"Information: Deck 31" the Host responded.

"Thank you."

He turned back to me.

"Buffy, how are you going to make it through? As soon as you let go, it's going to collapse."

"Would you just trust me for two seconds? Go. I'll make it through."

His eyes turned a shade of piercing sadness.

"Buffy, I can't lose you again…"

I rolled my eyes. "You're not going to lose me. Again, I say, just trust me. I'll make it through. I promise."

He stared at me, for just a quick moment, with the saddest look etched on his face. He kissed me on the forehead and scrambled through the hole.

"Okay, I'm through, Buffy. Come on! Hurry up!" he yelled.

The Host was sneaking back up behind me. I kicked my shoes off, hitting him both times. I let go and leapt through the hole. The Doctor grabbed my arms and pulled. The metal came crashing down less than a second after I had made it through.

The Doctor pulled me in a tight hug.

"See? I told you. Peachy with a side of keen over here."

"Yes, you did. But, darling, what happened to your shoes?"

"Eh, heels really aren't that great for running anyway." I said, standing up. "Nor is this dress really. I knew I was going to end up regretting it."

I bent down and ripped the fabric off, making the dress rise just above my knees. I ripped the a slit in the side, making it easier for running and possibly kicking purposes.

"I approve of this dress even more." the Doctor smiled. I rolled my eyes and took his arm, joining the others.

The room we were in now was more open. There was a table in the middle.

"Morvin, look, food." Foon said, excitedly.

"Oh great. Someone's happy." Slade said, sarcastically.

"Don't have any then." Morvin responded.

The Doctor let go of my arm and headed over to the nearest comm.

"Mr. Frame, you still there?"

"Yes, sir, but I've got Host outside. I sealed the door."

"They've been programmed to kill. Why would anyone do that?"

"That's not the only problem, Doctor. I had to use a maximum deadlock on the door, which means... No one can get in. I'm sealed off. Even if you can fix the Titanic, you can't get to the bridge."

"Yeah, right, fine. One problem at a time. What's on Deck 31?"

"Um, that's down below. It's nothing. It's just the Host storage deck. That's where we keep the robots."

The Doctor looked at the scanner on the comm.

"Well, what's that?" he said, taking out his specs and putting them on. "See that panel? Black. It's registering nothing. No power, no heat, no light."

"Never seen it before."

"100% shielded. What's down there?" the Doctor asked.

"I'll try intensifying the scanner."

"Let me know if you find anything. And keep those engines going!" the Doctor said, taking off his specs.

I brought the Doctor over a small plate of food, with Astrid in tow.

"Saved you some." I said, handing him the plate.

"You might be a Time King from Gaddabee but you need to eat." Astrid said.

"Yeah, thanks." he said, sitting. I sat next to him and Astrid say across from us.

"So, you look good for nine-hundred-and-three." Astrid said to the Doctor.

"You should see him in the mornings." I said, with a smirk.

"Okay." Astrid replied.

My eyes widened and I stopped chewing.

Astrid realized what she said and looked away.

The Doctor decidedly ignored the comment.

Thankfully, Mr. Copper came over and saved the increasingly awkward moment.

"Doctor, it must be well past midnight, Earth time. Christmas Day."

"So it is. Merry Christmas Mr. Copper. Astrid. Buffy, love." the Doctor smiled.

"Merry Christmas." I said, giving him a quick kiss.

I noticed Astrid turn away as I did.

Oops.

"This Christmas thing, what's it all about?" she asked after a minute.

"Long story. I should know, I was there. I got the last room." the Doctor said.

I laughed. "Of course. Of course you were there."

"But if the planet's waking up, can't we signal them? They can send up a rocket or something." Mr. Copper said.

"They don't have spaceships." the Doctor and I said in unison.

"No, I read about it. They have shuffles, space shuffles." Mr. Copper said.

"Mr. Copper, this degree in Earthonomics,... where's it from?" I asked, curiously.

"Honestly?"

"Just between us." the Doctor said, motioning around to the three of us.

"Mrs. Golightly's Happy Travelling University and Dry Cleaners."

"You - you lied to the company... to get the job?" Astrid asked, astonished.

"I- I wasted my life on Sto. I was a travelling salesman, always on the road and I reached retirement with nothing to show for it. Not even a home. And Earth sounded so exotic."

"Hm, I suppose it is, yeah." the Doctor agreed.

"How come you know it so well?" Astrid asked.

"I was sort of...a few years ago, was sorta made... well, sort of homeless, and, um there was the Earth. Also, Buffy's from there. So I know it a lot from when I visited her, where she lived. And other friends." the Doctor explained.

"Thing is, if we survive this, there will be police and all sorts of investigations. Now the minimum penalty for space-age fraud is ten years in jail. I'm an old man. Well, I won't survive ten years." Mr. Copper said.

Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the door. The Doctor and I dropped our food and rushed to the opposite door.

"A Host! Move! Come on!" he shouted.

The banging continued on the door, which was starting to dent from the force. Astrid screamed, because yeah, that's totally going to help the situation, and followed the Doctor and I to the other door. The Doctor pulled out the sonic and used it to open the door. On the other side was a space that ran the height of the ship. The only way to cross was a makeshift bridge created by a fallen beam. Below, were the engines.

No pressure, right?

"Is that the only way across?" Slade asked.

"On the other hand, it is a way across." the Doctor said.

"The engines are open." Astrid said.

"Nuclear storm drive. Soon as it stops, the Titanic falls." the Doctor explained, again.

"But that thing, it'll never take our weight." Morvin said.

"You're going last, mate." Slade said.

I was seriously getting fed up with him. The only thing keeping me from punching him out was knowing that I would probably have to carry him if I did.

"It's nitrofine metal. It's stronger than it looks." the Doctor said.

"All the same, Rickston's right. Me and Foon should –" Morvin started. He stepped on a weak piece of metal near the edge. The railing gave away and he fell, down towards the engines, with a loud piercing scream.

"Morvin!" Foon shrieked.

We all watched in shock and horror as Morvin fell to his death.


	7. Voyage of the Damned: Part Four

**Disclaimer:**You know the drill.

**A/N:**I changed the ending of the episode up a bit. Just a heads up. :]

**Voyage of the Damned: Part Four**

* * *

><p>"I told you! I told you!" Slade yelled.<p>

"Just shut up! Shut up!" Mr. Copper yelled back at him.

The Doctor and I stood open mouthed. I was only barely brought back to reality by Foon clawing onto the Doctor, hysterically.

"Bring him back! Can't you bring him back? Bring him back, Doctor!" she cried.

"I'm sorry, I can't." the Doctor replied, quietly. Sadly.

"You promised me!" she retorted.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." he said, softly. I could tell that he was on the verge of tears  
>himself.<p>

My Slayer-hearing picked up the sound of the Hosts, following us.

"Doctor, they are following us." I said.

He stood, contemplating our next move.

"I'm not waiting." Slade said after a minute. He started across the bridge.

That seemed to snap the Doctor out of his sad reverie. He raced over to the edge.

"Careful! Take it slowly!" the Doctor shouted.

Appropriately, the ship rumbled and then rocked. Not as violent as before, but enough to knock Slade off. He grabbed a hold of the beam, his legs dangling down, as he frantically struggled to hold on.

"Help me!" he yelled.

As much as I wanted to let him fall and be done with him and his just plain horribleness, I couldn't. The Slayer in me frowned upon it.

I sighed loudly and ripped a slit in the other side of my dress, for maximum balance purposes. I carefully balanced my way to where Slade was dangling off the beam. I reached my hand down, grabbed his wrists and pulled him up.

"You're okay. One step at a time. Come on, you can do it." I said, as encouragingly as I could muster after he had rebalanced himself.

As soon as I thought that he had gotten it down, I carefully maneuvered my way back to the Doctor, Astrid, Foon and Mr. Copper.

"Buffy, what are you doing? Get back on there and get across." the Doctor said. There was little amusement in his voice. As to be suspected, really.

"I can help get everyone else across. Besides, are you going to hold off the Hosts by yourself?"" I asked, skeptically.

I could hear them chanting their increasingly familiar 'kill-kill-kill' and they were getting closer.

"They're getting closer." I added on, hoping that would kick the Doctor into his brilliant 'save the day' plan. I was seriously counting on him having one. Because frankly, I didn't.

"Seal us in." he muttered, quietly. So quietly, I wasn't sure that I had heard him correctly, if at all.

Until he pulled out the sonic and did just that.

"Leaving us trapped, wouldn't you say?" Mr. Copper asked.

"Never say trapped, just inconveniently circumstanced." the Doctor said, semi-returning to himself.

"I'm okay!" Slade shouted. I looked over to see that he was more than half way across the beam.

"Great. Good. We're throwing a party over here." I yelled back.

"Maybe he's all right. Maybe - Maybe there's a gravity curve down there or something. I don't know. Maybe he's unconscious." Foon said, finally speaking without hysterics.

In fact she sounded, gulp, hopeful.

"I'm sorry, Foon. He's gone." Astrid said, hugging her.

"What am I going to do without him?" Foon asked beginning to cry again.

I glanced back to check on Jerky McJerkface. He had made it across and was intent on letting everybody know.

"Yes! Oh yes! Who's good?" he shouted from across the other side.

I ignored his lame comment.

"Bannakaffalatta, you go next." the Doctor said, urging him on.

"Bannakaffalatta, small." he said, running across.

"Slowly!" the Doctor and I yelled in unison.

A loud banging on the door followed.

"Not again." I sighed.

"They've found us!" Mr. Copper yelled.

"Astrid, get across right now." the Doctor said.

"What about you?" she asked the Doctor, purposely turning her back to me.

If we weren't in several dire situations at the moment, I would have probably introduced her to Mr. and Mrs. Slayer-fists. Seriously! The nerve. The Doctor caught my eyes and I believe he knew that.

"Just do it. Go on. We'll be across shortly." he said, motioning to me.

I didn't miss that Astrid, again, ignored his motion towards me. She glanced at the Doctor and then started to cross.

"Mr. Copper, we can't wait. Don't argue." the Doctor said, turning to him.

He did as he was told and followed Astrid.

I turned to Foon.

"Foon, you've got to get across right now."

"What for? What am I gonna do without him?" she asked, desperately.

"Doctor! The door's locked!" Slade yelled across.

"Just think... what would he want, eh?" the Doctor said to Foon, bending down next to me.

"He don't want nothing, he's dead!" she sobbed.

"Doctor, I can't open the door. We need the whirring key thing of yours!" Slade yelled again.

"I can't leave her!" the Doctor shouted back.

"She'll get us all killed if we can't get out!" Slade yelled.

I rolled my eyes. "Give me it." I said, holding my hand out. He pulled the sonic out of his jacket and handed it to me.

"Forgive me for this." I said to the Doctor, putting the sonic in my mouth.

As Banana-kaff-latte, Astrid and Mr. Copper were still on the beam, I didn't really have the room for any Slayer tricks. I stepped on, carefully, and as soon as I did, the metal started to creak from the weight of another person.

Jeez, talk about an eye-opener. I shoved diet-plans to the back of my mind. I needed to focus on not dying and taking the Earth with me first.

"Too many people!" Banana-kaff-latte said.

"Just keep moving." I replied.

"It's gonna fall!" Astrid yelled back.

I rolled my eyes. "It's just settling! Keep going!"

Suddenly, the pounding stopped. It was quiet. Too quiet. Eerily quiet.

"They've stopped." Astrid said.

"Gone away?" Banana-kaff-latte asked.

"No. I don't think so. Keep going." I said.

Banana-kaff-latte, Astrid and Mr. Copper stepped off the beam, safely.

"Why would they give up?" I questioned out loud but mostly to myself.

"Never mind that. Keep coming!" Slade yelled, impatiently.

"Where have they gone? Where are the Host?" I yelled to the Doctor, still standing in the middle of the beam.

"I'm afraid...we forgot the tradition of Christmas - that angels have wings!" Mr. Copper said, motioning upwards.

The Hosts were gliding? flying? down from above and attempting at trapping us in a circle.

"Information: kill."

They reached for their halos.

I saw the Doctor's eyes widen and I knew that was so not a good sign.

"Arm yourselves! All of you!" he yelled.

The Hosts started to toss their halos—the dangerously, kill-you-dead type of halos—at us. I heard metal clapping against metal. Everyone had grabbed some kind of weapon, pipes and bits of metal, and were hitting the halos away as if they were baseballs.

I knew that I couldn't stay in the middle of the beam for much longer. I darted my eyes between both sides, seeing who needed help the most. I caught the Doctor's eyes and he nodded. I turned, jumped and flipped, landing in between Slade and Astrid, who were both too busy thankfully to comment.

As soon as I landed though, I had to dodge a halo. I bent backwards, having it narrowly miss my neck.

Gulp.

I grabbed a random pipe and started swinging. A halo flew down and slashed across Mr. Copper's leg. I ran over and stood guard in front of him, swinging my pipe all the way.

I looked over to see how the Doctor was faring. I could see that the arm of his tux was ripped open, just slightly, but other than that he seemed to be combating just fine, which I found disturbingly odd.

When I turned my head back to the action in front of me, I saw Astrid fall down to her knees out of the sideline of my vision and I heard her heave a sob. Great. I didn't really have time for her mental breakdown at the moment.

"I can't." she said, defeated.

"Bannakaffalatta stop! Bannakaffalatta proud! Bannakaffalatta, cyborg!" Banana-kaff-latte said, proudly.

He lifted his shirt and discharged…well, I'm not sure what. I'm going to say it was some kind of energy. I don't know what cyborgs carry under their shirts.

Regardless, the blast hit the Hosts, disabling them. All but one fell down, towards the engines. The remaining one fell behind the Doctor.

I almost felt bad for it. _Almost._

"Electromagnetic pulse took out the robotics. Oh, Bannakaffalatta, that was brilliant!" the Doctor shouted across.

Banana-kaff-latte fell and Astrid ran up to his side.

"He's used all his power!" she cried out.

"Did good?" Banana-kaff-latte asked.

"You saved our lives." I said, walking up to him.

"Bannakaffalatta happy."

"We can recharge you, get you to a power point and just plug you in!" Astrid said, with a smile.

"Too late." he responded.

"No, but...you gotta get me that drink, remember?" she said, referencing some conversation that was lost to the rest of us.

"Pretty girl." he smiled. And then he died.

Astrid had tears rolling down her face and for a moment, I felt bad for her.

She went to button up his shirt when Mr. Copper stopped her.

"I'm sorry. Forgive me." he said, gently.

"Leave him alone." she hissed.

"It's the EMP transmitter. He - he'd want us to use it. I used to sell these things. They'd always give me a bed for the night in the cyborg caravans. They're good people. But if we can recharge it, we can reuse it as a weapon against the rest of the Host. Bannakaffalatta might have saved us all." he said, removing it.

"Do you think? Try telling him that." Slade said, pointing over to the other side.

I turned to see the remaining Host rising up behind the Doctor. I ran and flipped across that beam as fast as I could, landing directly next to the Doctor, who was standing in front of Foon, protecting her.

"Information: reboot." it said, starting to move again.

"No, no, no. Hold on. Override loophole security protocol... Ten! 666! Oh. 21, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Um, I dunno, 42! Uh, one!" the Doctor rambled.

It stopped mid-movement.

"Information: state request."

"Good...right. You've been ordered to kill the survivors, but why?" the Doctor asked.

"Information: no witnesses."

"But this ship's gonna fall on the Earth and kill everyone. The human race have nothing to do with the Titanic so that contravenes your orders, yes?"

"Information: incorrect."

"But why do you want to destroy the Earth?"

"Information: it is the plan."

"What plan?"

"Information: protocol grants you only three questions. These three questions have been used."

"Well, you could have warned me!"

"Information: now you will die."

The Host lifted it's halo up off it's head. I tensed my body and judged the timing I would need to knock the Doctor down, without getting either of us scraped by the halo or minced up by the engines.

Suddenly, a lasso was thrown up over it's head and tightened around it's body. We both turned in astonishment to see Foon holding the ropes.

"You're coming with me!" she yelled. She closed her eyes and jumped over the side, pulling the Host down with her.

"Nooooo!" the Doctor yelled, jumping, trying to reach for her as she fell to her death.

I grabbed a hold of him just in time, keeping him from falling over the side as well. We sat on the ground and for a moment, it was just the two of us. I held him close and felt all his sadness, grief and guilt pour into me. Without him ever shedding a tear.

After a minute, I let the Doctor go and he stood up, with a completely different look about him. He grabbed my hand, helping me up.

"No more." he said, with a determined tone ringing in his voice.

We crossed the beam once more. I handed the sonic back to the Doctor, almost forgetting it was still in my hand and he unlocked the door. We walked out into what appeared to be another set of maintenance halls.

The Doctor turned to look at the rest of us.

"Right. Get up to Reception One. Once you're there, Mr. Copper, you've got staff access to the computer. Try and find a way of transmitting an SOS."

Mr. Copper nodded.

The Doctor turned to Astrid.

"Astrid, you're in charge of this" he said, handing her the EMP. "Once it's powered up, it'll take out Hosts within fifty yards but then it needs sixty seconds to recharge. Got it?"

She nodded, taking the EMP from him.

He turned to Slade.

"Rickston, take this" he said, handing him the sonic doo-hickey. "I've preset it. Just hold down that button. It'll open doors. Do not lose it! You got that? Now go and open the next door. Go on! Go!"

"All right!" he replied.

I noticed a random supply shelf. I walked over and scrambled around a bit until I found a First Aid kit. I grabbed it and walked over to Mr. Copper, whose leg was still bleeding.

"Mr. Copper, We need you healthy for a fight." I smiled.

"Astrid, where's the power point?" the Doctor asked.

"Under the comm." she said, running over to it.

I tried not to eavesdrop as I helped Mr. Copper dress his leg but I just couldn't help it.

"When it's ready, that blue light comes on there." the Doctor explained.

"You're talking as if you're not coming with us." she replied.

"There's something down on Deck 31. I have to find out what it is."

"And what of Buffy?"

He was silent for a moment that lasted far too long.

"I think it best if she stays with me." he said finally.

"What if you meet a Host?"

"I'll be well protected."

I smiled.

"Sounds like you two do this kind of thing all the time."

"Not by chance. Buffy…well, her story is complicated. Very complicated. Downright tragic at times. And most importantly, not mine to tell. All I do is travel. That's what I am, just a traveler. Imagine it. No tax, no bills, no boss, just the open sky."

"I'm sort of...unemployed now and I was thinking the blue box is kinda small, but I could kinda squeeze in. Like a stowaway."

Alarm shot up through my body and my eyes widened. Was she seriously for real?

"Astrid…" the Doctor started.

"You need someone to take care of you. I've got no one back on Sto, no family, just me. So what do you think? Can I come with you?"

"I….don't know if that's such a good idea." the Doctor responded.

The ship lurched again, not as violently, but still enough to throw us to the ground.

"Mr. Frame, you still with us?" the Doctor said into the comm.

"It's the engines, sir. Final phase. There's nothing more I can do. We've got only eight minutes left!" he replied.

"Don't worry, I'll get there." the Doctor responded, calmly.

"The bridge is sealed off!" he retorted.

"Yeah, yeah, working on it. I'll get there, Mr. Frame, somehow." he said, clicking the comm off. "The EMP is all charged up. Mr. Copper, look after her. Astrid, look after him. Rickston, um...look after yourself. And we'll see you again, promise." the Doctor said, walking back over to us. "Buffy, shall we?" he said, holding his hand out to me. I finished taping Mr. Copper's leg and stood up, taking the Doctor's outstretched hand.

We turned and started to leave.

"Hold on!" Astrid called out. The Doctor let go of my hand and turned back towards her.

"What is it?" he asked.

"There's an old tradition on Planet Sto…"

"I've really got to go." he pushed.

"Just wait a minute!" she said loudly.

I turned around to see why she was yelling and when I did, I instantly regretted it. Everything. We should've just left, when I had said so, right after we landed.

She kissed him.

I clenched my fists together and my nails dug the insides. I stormed over and shoved her away from him.

"What. The. Hell." I seethed. "I don't know what you're problem is but the Doctor and I are very clearly together. You know, _together_. I don't know what that means on your home planet, but on mine that usually means hands the hell off!" I shouted.

She didn't respond. She just glared.

Before I knew what I was doing, I raised my clenched fist. The Doctor grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Buffy, we don't have time for this right now. We'll deal with it later." he pleaded.

As horrifyingly angry as I was, I knew that he was right. I yanked my arm out of his grip, turned away and walked in the direction that we had started.

* * *

><p>The Doctor and I ran in silence.<p>

Horribly awkward silence.

I was, obviously, still pissed.

I know it was Astrid and not him perpetrating the kiss and I knew how much he cared for me.

That just made it hurt more.

But, like he said, now wasn't the time.

The Earth needed to be saved.

Again.

Also, we were being chased by four Hosts.

We ran into the kitchen and scrambled around frantically for weapons.

I noticed a rather large ice container, like the ones that you see outside of convenience stores. I ran over and cracked off the door, running back and standing next to the Doctor in record time. I held it up like a shield.

The Doctor's weapon of choice was a pot.

I didn't have time to roll my eyes though, as the four Hosts soon surrounded us, advancing quickly.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait! Security protocol one! Do you hear me? One! One!" the Doctor shouted.

The Hosts stopped.

"Okay, that gives me three questions. Three questions to save my life, am I right?"

"Information: correct."

"No! That wasn't one of them! I didn't mean it. That's not fair! Can I start again?"

"Information: no."

"No, no! No, no, no. That wasn't one either. Blimey. One question left. One question. So, you've been given orders to kill the survivors but survivors must therefore be passengers or staff, but not us. We're not passengers. We're not staff. Go on, scan us. You must have bio records. No such person on board. We don't exist therefore...you can't kill us. Therefore, We're stowaways and stowaways should be arrested and taken to the nearest figure of authority. And I reckon the nearest figure of authority is on Deck 31. Final question: am I right?"

I won't lie. I didn't catch most of that.

"Information: correct."

"Brilliant. Take me to your leader."

He smiled that crazy, maniacal smile that I absolutely love and I momentarily forgot how angry I was.

"I've always wanted to say that."

* * *

><p>Deck 31 was a disaster.<p>

Insane amounts of structural damage plus small fires everywhere. Lots and lots of small fires.

"Now that is what you call a fixer-upper. Come on then, Host with the most, this ultimate authority of yours, who is it?" the Doctor asked.

I didn't say anything. I just kept in step, silently beside the Doctor. My anger was coming back.

Two doors behind us opened and we both whirled around.

"Ooh, that's clever. That's an omnistate impact chamber. Indestructible. You can survive anything in that, eh?" the Doctor said.

I craned my neck and a bit and squinted my eyes. It looked to me as if a small vehicle was rolling, er, wheeling, out.

"Sit through a supernova or a shipwreck. Only one person can have the power and the money to hide themselves on board like this and I should know, 'cause…"

I know I shouldn't have been surprised in the least, but I gasped, just a little, as the vehicle wheeled out. It wasn't actually a vehicle at all. It was a massive life-support system for none other than Max Capricorn.

Who, now, was just a head.

Hence the giant life-support system.

On wheels.

"My name is Max."

His gold tooth shimmered, just like it did in the videos that were plastered all over his ship.

"It really does that?" I said, raising my eyebrow.

"Who the hell are you?" the Max-mobile asked.

"I'm the Doctor. She's Buffy. Hello."

"Information: stowaways."

"Well…yeah, okay. Kind of." the Doctor said, scratching his head.

"Kill them." the Max-head said.

"Oh, no, no! Wait, but you can't. Not now. Come on, Max...You've given me so much good material like...How to get ahead in business. See 'head'? 'Head in business'? No?" the Doctor said, with a perfect smile.

I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face.

I had to remind myself, mentally, that I was angry.

"Oh, ho ho, the office joker. I like a funny man. No one's been funny with me for years."

"I can't think why." I said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"One-hundred and seventy-six years of running the company have taken their toll." Max-head said.

"Yeah, but...nice wheels." the Doctor said.

I cracked another smile, however, this time some giggles escaped.

Angry, Buffy. You're angry. Be angry.

I had to keep reminding myself of that.

"No, a life-support system in a society that despises cyborgs. I've had to hide away for years. Running the company by hologram. Host, situation report."

"Information: Titanic is still in orbit."

"Let me see."

The Max-Mobile lurched forward, forcing the Doctor and I to step out of the way rather quickly.

"We should have crashed by now. What's gone wrong?"

He vroomed over to the edge and looked down, checking on the engines.

"The engines are still running! They should have stopped!"

"When they do, the Earth gets roasted. I don't understand. What's the Earth got to do with it?" the Doctor asked.

"This interview is terminated!" Max-head shouted.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" the Doctor yelled. "Hold on! Hold on! Hold on! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! I can work it out. It's like a task. I'm your apprentice. Just watch me. So... Business is failing and you wreck the ship so that makes things even worse. Oh yes! No. Yes. The business isn't failing, it's failed. Past tense."

"My own board voted me out. Stabbed me in the back."

"If you had a back." I said.

"You scupper the ship, wipe out any survivors in case anyone's rumbled you and the board find their shares halved in value. Oh, but that's not enough. No, 'cause if a Max Capricorn ship hits the Earth, it destroys an entire planet. Outrage back home. Scandal! The business is wiped out." the Doctor rambled.

"And... the whole board thrown in jail for mass murder." the Max-head smiled.

"While you sit there, safe inside the impact chamber." I said, stepping forward.

"I have men waiting to retrieve me from the ruins and enough off-world accounts to retire me to the beaches of Pentaxico Two where the ladies, so I'm told, are very fond of...metal."

"So that's the plan. A retirement plan. 2000 on this ship, 6 billion underneath us, all of them slaughtered. And why? Because Max Capricorn is a loser." the Doctor said, indignantly.

"I never lose."

"You can't even sink the Titanic!" I snorted.

"Oh, but I can. I can cancel the engines from here."

Alarms started to sound and the Max-head smiled, his stupid gold tooth shimmering.

"You can't do this!" the Doctor shouted.

"Hosts, hold them."

Four Hosts, the four that had been chasing us, I think anyway, came out and grabbed us, pulling us away.

"Not so clever now, Doctor. A shame we couldn't work together, you, me and your little toy there. You're both rather good. All that banter yet not a word wasted. Time for me to retire. The Titanic is falling. The sky will burn. Let the Christmas inferno commence. Oh! Oh, Host! Kill them. Unfortunately, there's only one Host left, besides the four that are holding you two back. So one of you is going to have to watch the other die. I'm feeling that the girl should go first. Host, kill her first." he said, with a sinister laugh.

The one Host that remained free removed his halo and prepared to fling it towards me.

"NO!" the Doctor screamed.

I looked over at him and tears were starting to run down his face.

"Doctor, it's, it's okay. I for-" I started.

"Mr. Capricorn! I resign!" said a voice from behind us.

Astrid came roaring over, in a forklift, driving straight at Max-Mobile.

My eyes widened.

"Astrid, don't!" I yelled.

She lifted the front of the life-support just enough so that the tires had no purchase. The rear tires had enough traction to cause a standoff and that's just what it was.

The Host that was about to kill me flung his halo at Astrid, but missed her entirely, hitting something else.

"He's cut the break line!" the Doctor said, horrified.

Astrid glanced at the both of us, only for a moment before turning back to Max-head. She raised the forklift higher, lifting him fully off the ground. She stepped on the gas, sending them both over the edge.

The Doctor got loose from the Hosts and ran to the edge.

"Astrid!"

The Hosts had let go of me, their commander dead.

I walked over to him, slowly.

"Doctor…" I said.

He stood up, slowly. Determined.

He scooped me up in his arms and walked away from the edge, with sparks and fires burning behind us.

"Hold on tight, love." he whispered. There was a definite edge to his voice.

I wrapped my arms tightly around him, as tight as I could without hurting him, and he held out his arms. Two Hosts walked up, one on either side. The Doctor snapped his fingers and they held his arms, flying us upwards, gaining speed.

I tucked my head into the side of his neck as we broke through the floor of the bridge, causing the young M.F. to shout.

"Deadlock broken." a computer said.

I crawled down from the Doctor's arms and wiped the dust particles from me.

"Ah, Midshipman Frame at last!" the Doctor said, greeting the young man.

"Uh, but-but the Host!"

"Controller dead they divert to the next highest authority and that's me." he stated.

"There's nothing we can do. There's no power. The ship's gonna fall."

"Titanic falling." the computer alerted. I walked over and punched the screen.

The Doctor and M.F. stared at me.

"What? It was driving me insane." I replied.

The Doctor walked over towards the wheel.

"I better drive from here. Trust me. You do not want Blondie behind the wheel." he smiled.

I just rolled my eyes.

"What's your first name?" he asked young M.F., as he took the wheel.

"Alonso."

I couldn't help myself from laughing. The Doctor had told me about this before.

"You're kidding me." the Doctor gasped.

"What?" Alonso asked, puzzled.

"That's something else I've always wanted to say! Allons-y Alonso!"

The ship lurched, again, this time more violently. I grabbed a hold of the nearest thing that I could find firmly attached to the wall.

Unfortunately for me, that happened to be near the window, meaning I got a front row seat to us falling straight towards the Earth's atmosphere.

Alonso screamed.

I focused less on his screams of terror and less on the fact that the Doctor was fighting the wheel. The only thing I could seem to focus on was the Titanic as it started to burn on our reentry into the Earth's atmosphere.

An alarm started to go off and I watched as the Doctor kicked at the computer to see what it was.

I managed to inch myself over to him and see what the problem was now.

My gasp was very audible

The Doctor sighed and moved his foot over to the comm., using it to…well, call out, I guess.

"Hello, yes, um...could you get me Buckingham Palace?" he asked. 

* * *

><p>"Listen to me! Security Code 771! Now get out of there!" he yelled after a few minutes.<p>

A different computer kicked on.

"Engine active. Engine active." it spouted.

The Doctor pulled back on the wheel, sending Alonso flying back against the wall. I was now gripping onto the console, as tightly as possible, hoping that I wasn't about to rip it out of the floor.

He quickly regained control and we barely missed hitting Buckingham Palace. All three of us let out a large, collective sigh of relief.

The Doctor started to laugh.

I let go of the console and just shook my head.

Alonso rang a bell and yelled. The Doctor yelled with him. I, again, just shook my head and laughed.

* * *

><p>It had been sometime since we landed now.<p>

Alonso and I were sitting against the wall of the bridge. The Doctor walked away from the wheel and joined us.

"Used the heat of re-entry to fire up the secondary storm drive. Unsinkable, that's me." he said with a smile.

"We made it." Alonso smiled.

"Not all of us." the Doctor said, sadly.

I put my hand on his shoulder.

"There's always causalities." I said, somberly.

"But there doesn't have to be. Everyday isn't a battle or a war, Buffy."

I smiled, sadly. "Yes. It is."

Alonso got up then and left, giving us some privacy.

I leaned my head down on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry." I said, quietly, after a few minutes.

"Buffy-"

"No, I am. I'm sorry. I was about to pummel her into the next millennia. You liked her. And now she's gone. She died saving our lives. _My_life."

He was silent for a long time.

Finally, he put his hand under my chin and pulled my face up to his. His ancient brown eyes stared into my green.

"I forgive you, Buffy."

I smiled softly and kissed him.

"Thank you."

He smiled back. "Let's go see how the other two fared, eh?" 

* * *

><p>We raced into the reception area, to find Slade &amp; Mr. Copper sitting by, laughing.<p>

The laughter of not being dead.

I knew it well.

"Rickston, my sonic please." the Doctor said, holding his hand out.

I walked over to Mr. Copper.

"Are you alright?"

He smiled. "It was a little hairy for a minute there, wasn't it?"

I smiled back. "It was, it was."

"Good thing for the Doctor then."

I turned back and looked at him.

"I know I'd be lost without him." I smiled.

We were once again floating in orbit.

I was personally pretty adamant on staying on land, however the Doctor assured me that everything would be okay.

The Doctor and I sat in the reception area, my hand firmly placed in his.

"The engines have stabilized. We're holding steady till we get help and I've sent the SOS. A rescue ship should be here within twenty minutes. And they're digging out the records of Max Capricorn. It should be quite a story." Alonso said, walking in.

"They'll want to talk to all of us, I suppose?" Mr. Copper asked.

"I'd have thought so, yeah." Alonso replied.

Mr. Copper nodded his head and sat down next to us.

"I think, uh, one or two inconvenient truths might come to light. Still, it's my own fault, and then years in jail is better than dying." he said.

Just then, Slade came walking over as well. He looked fairly uncomfortable. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying it.

"Doctor...I never said...thank you."

I cleared my throat loudly.

They both looked at me.

"What? I do believe it was me that saved you from falling into the engine pit. And I do believe that it was me that got you safely across the beam."

"Uh, yes. Thank you, Buffy was it? The funny thing is...I said Max Capricorn was falling apart. Just before the crash, I ...sold all my shares, transferred them to his rivals. It's made me rich. What do you think of that?"

The Doctor, Mr. Copper and I all exchanged the same 'oh-my-god' look.

He went straight back to Cordelia.

His phone, er, 'vone' rang and turned, answering it as he walked away.

"Of all the people to survive, he's not the one you would have chosen, is he? But if you could choose, Doctor, if you decide who lives and who dies... that would make you a monster."

The Doctor and I both stared at Mr. Copper, curiously.

He was definitely just like my Giles.

The Doctor smiled.

"Mr. Copper... I think you deserve one of these." he said, taking three teleport bracelets off the stand.

Mr. Copper smiled and put the bracelet on.

Alonso turned and noticed us just then. He mouthed something that I couldn't make out. Mr. Copper chuckled as the Doctor started the machine up. Alonso smiled and saluted. I laughed, knowing how much my Doctor hated that. However, he saluted back and we were off. 

* * *

><p>It was snowing.<p>

Or, well, so I had thought anyway.

The Doctor, Mr. Copper and I walked across an open field, presumably in London somewhere, towards the waiting TARDIS.

"So, Great Britain is part of, uh, "Europee" and just across the British Channel you've got Great France and Great Germany." Mr. Copper said.

I smiled at his mispronunciation of 'Europe.'

"No, no, it's just - it's just France and Germany. Only Britain is great." the Doctor smiled.

"Oh, and they're all at war with the continent of Ham-erica?"

I giggled. "That's _A_merica. No 'ham'. That's where I'm from. Well, generally speaking, anyway."

"No, well...not yet, the war, uh...well, could argue that one." the Doctor said, vaguely, as we arrived at the TARDIS.

"There she is." he said, patting her doors. "Survive anything, she could."

"You know, between you and me, I don't even thing this snow is real. I think this is the ballast from the Titanic's salvage entering the atmosphere."

"This isn't real snow?" I sighed.

The Doctor smiled. "Sorry, but no, Miss California. Mr. Copper's right. One of these days it might snow for real, though. Best we not lose hope."

"So, I - I suppose the two of you will be off." Mr. Copper asked.

"The open sky." the Doctor said, pulling me close to him.

"And, uh, what about me?" Mr. Copper asked.

"It….it's not safe." the Doctor said. "Trouble follows this one wherever she goes." he added on.

I rolled my eyes, yet again.

"What - what am I supposed to do?" Mr. Copper asked, sadly.

"Give me that credit card." the Doctor said.

I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Uh, please." he amended.

Mr. Copper handed it over.

"Well, it's just petty cash, spending money. It's all done by computer. I - I didn't really know the currency so I thought a million might cover it."

The Doctor's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"A million? Pounds?"

I admit, I'm not great with math or math-y type things but I knew that equaled out to mass amounts of money.

"That enough for trinkets?" Mr. Copper asked, totally clueless.

"Mr. Copper, a million pounds is worth about 50 million credits." the Doctor clarified.

"How much?" Mr. Copper asked, astonished.

"50 million and 56." the Doctor said, calculating it in his head.

"I - I've got money!" Mr. Copper exclaimed.

"Yes, you have." the Doctor smiled, handing the card back.

"Oh my word. Oh my vot! Oh my goodness me! I – Ya-ha!"

The Doctor and I both laughed a little.

"It's all yours - Planet Earth. Now that's a retirement plan. But just you be careful, though." he warned.

"I will. I will. Oh, I will." Mr. Copper promised.

"No interfering. I don't want any trouble. Just...just have a nice life."

"But I can have a house, a proper house, with a garden, and - and a door, and...Oh, Doctor, I will make you proud. Both of you." he said, hugging the Doctor and I. "And - and I can have a kitchen with chairs, and windows, and lace... " he continued on as he skipped off, laughing.

I slipped out of the Doctor's arms and he turned to unlock the TARDIS. He paused though, turning back around.

"Um, where are you going?" he shouted after Mr. Copper.

"Why, I have no idea!" Mr. Copper shouted back, laughing. "Buffy, my dear, take good care of him. He needs it, you know."

The Doctor turned to look at me. "Yeah, I know she does." I smiled.

We both turned back and watched as Mr. Copper skipped away, mumbling excitedly.

The Doctor opened the TARDIS doors and we both entered. I walked immediately over to the closest chair and crashed down on it, exhausted.

"Where to, sweetheart?" he asked. His back was to me and he was working around the console.

I sighed heavily.

"Home."

He whirled around, immediately.

"Home?"

"Well, not Sunnydale-home, obviously. New York."

"New York?"

I nodded.

He sat down next to me.

"Do you want to leave me? Is it still because of-"

I sat up and put my hand over his mouth, to silence him.

"I miss Dawn." I said, with a sad smile on my face. "I thought…I wasn't entirely sure that I was going to make it out of there alive. If I hadn't…if neither of us had, how would Dawn know? She wouldn't. She would go on living the rest of her life thinking that I had abandoned her. I can't let that happen. So home it is. And I'm not leaving you. I just got you, why would I leave you? Don't be so silly. You're coming with me."

"I am?"

I nodded. "Uh huh. I know it's definitely not your idea of a great time, staying put all the time, but I was thinking you might try it for a bit. Just for me? And not for too long. A year, maybe two. We can take up traveling again while Dawn's in college, maybe? What do you say?"

He sat, silently in thought, for a very long, excruciating minute. He pulled my hand into his, squeezed it, then stood up and ran over to the console, flipping levers, hammering something with a mallet and kicking controls with his feet.

"Is that a yes?" I asked.

"Yes...but you might want to change first. There's not much left to your dress, I'm afraid." he said, smiling suggestively towards my exposed skin. He turned his attentions back towards the console.

I looked down. The once gorgeous dress was now covered in all kinds of dust and grease stains, from crawling through the metal beams. It was ripped, from where I had ripped it, but then it also had several large rips that went through the middle. Several large rips that I had apparently missed happening.

Okay, so, my _very _exposed skin.

An idea flashed through my mind and I decided to act on it, quickly, before I lost my nerve. I unzipped what was left of the dress and tossed it. It landed, where I had hoped, on the console directly in front of him.

He didn't turn back around right away. He stood gravely still and I grinned as I guessed each stage of shock that he was going through.

After a few minutes though, I was getting a little worried about him. I sauntered up behind him, slid my arms around his waist and whispered in his ear.

"You know, it's awfully chilly for me to be standing here naked for so long."


	8. Daleks in Manhattan

**Disclaimer/AN:** There's a quote from Buffy ep. 'Restless' in here as well as the epitaph fom her grave. If you think that I own DW/Buffy, well, then, we should probably be friends :] Also, you'd be completely insane. Hahaha

There's also some Romanian in here, in the beginning, and let me just say…I don't know Romanian nor have I ever tried to learn it. I used Google translate so if any of you that do know Romanian see it and it's wrong, feel free to tell me and…blame it on Google! :]

The beginning is, as I'm sure you can tell, absolutely nothing to do with this story at all. It's just a bit of foreshadowing for 'Haven't I Killed You Before?' :] 

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight: Daleks in Manhattan<strong>

I was vaguely aware that I was dreaming.

Well, no. It wasn't vague at all actually.

I recalled going to sleep on the TARDIS, while we floated through space…time…whatever.

Here, it was bright and sunshine-y. Warm, but not hot.

Oh, and I was standing outside of Sunnydale High.

But it wasn't the sparkling new one that we had just sent to Hell.

The one, the only, the original.

I walked up the ever familiar concrete stairs and across the even more familiar courtyard, towards the front doors. I walked in and walked down the halls, not really sure where I was supposed to be heading, but at the same time, all too aware. I stopped at the sight of the familiar double doors that led into the library. The place where I had based a solid three years of my life. I put my hand on the doors, but hesitated on going in.

Not only was the library the place where we had based most, if not all, of the Scooby Gang operations during our school years, it was also where the Hellmouth was located. Directly underneath the library. Boca del Infierno and all that.

"Yeah, I probably wouldn't go in either. There is seriously nothing good about this place."

I turned and saw Cordelia walking up behind me. She was just as I remembered her in high school, not the last time that I had seen her in LA, which now seemed so very very long ago. Her long, brown hair was perfectly straight. She wore a short, light blue sheath dress and white knee boots. For some reason, she was carrying books. Like she was just on her way to class and happened to enter my dream.

"What are you doing here?"

She thought for a moment.

"Not sure." she answered.

Something floated through the back of my mind.

"You're dead." I said.

"Yeah, I am."

"How?"

She smiled. "Long story."

I turned back towards the double doors. They were emanating off a vibe like no other. It felt like there was a giant ball of energy on the other side, just waiting to burst through.

"I'm going in. There could be trouble." I said, quietly.

I opened the doors and turned back towards Cordelia.

"Are you coming?" I asked.

She nodded. "I better. The bosses will be mad if I don't."

It wasn't the library on the inside. Instead, we walked straight onto the grounds of the industrial park. Score another point for this being a dream. I stopped and stared up at the massive tower.

"Here….why are we here?" I asked.

"It's something…something to do with this tower, well, not the tower itself but this night, the night you died." Cordelia said. Her school books had disappeared since we walked through the doors. Class was, apparently, over.

"You know. What this is all about." I stated.

She nodded. "Yes."

"Well, how about some real-non-cryptic-y help then?"

She shook her head and smiled. "Would if I could, but you know, spoilers."

"I have nightmares about this all the time." I said, changing the subject. "This night. Dying. What could've happened if Dawn had jumped instead of me, what could've happened had I not figured it out…"

Cordelia looked up and smiled at me, softly. "I know. Well, they know."

"They?"

She didn't answer. She just pointed up.

"Ah, the Powers. Let me guess, this is about to get uber cryptic?"

" 'Fraid so." she smiled.

I turned back towards the tower, for just a moment, and when I turned back, Cordelia was no longer there. Instead, Tara stood by my side. She was wearing a long, flowing dress. It was a gorgeous shade of cream with thick straps that pointed into a v-neck. Her blonde hair was partially pulled up, with some random wavy strands hanging down. The whole way she was styled was, what I would imagine to be, very Goddess-y. Or Angelic. Which would be fitting. All she was missing was the halo. Thankfully. I've had my share of halos for quite some time, thanks.

"Tara? Where is Cordelia?"

"She had to go." she said, indistinctly.

My whole body tensed as another stray thought flew through my mind.

"This isn't the First again…is it? Because, quite frankly, I don't know if I can handle any revenge schemes right now."

Tara smirked. "No, it's me. You properly dispersed it. Well, for a few centuries anyway."

"Oh. Well, that's good then. Centuries, that's a long time." I said, absentmindedly.

Tara just smiled.

We were quiet for a few very awkward minutes. I didn't know what to say and I figured that she was just biding her time with the cryptic-ness anyway. After a bit though, I figured that I should say something.

"You shouldn't be dead. Willow-"

"Willow will heal. She's strong. Just like you."

I smiled. So we'd come full circle.

"Get on with the cryptic."

"You're strong. Stronger than you think. You'll make it through."

"Through what?"

"The book. It's important. Make sure you get the book."

"Book? What book?"

"You'll need it. For when he comes."

"Who? What book?"

"Spoilers." she said, with a smirk.

We were silent for another moment, a moment that I spent contemplating what she and Cordelia meant by 'spoilers'.

I turned to face her, but this time, instead of Tara, it was Anya. She was wearing a white skirt that was covered with blue and green flowers and a matching blue cardigan.

"Okay, this is seriously getting weird. Anya, where's Tara?"

"She had to—"

"Go. She had to go. I get it."

"Right. Can you get a message to Xander?"

I nodded. "I can. We're supposed to be on our way to meet him now. And Dawn."

"I love him. Still. Always have. Always will. I wish that Andrew had died instead of me. I miss him. Xander. Not that rascally little swimmer's ear."

I bit back a laugh. "I'll just relay the _'I love you, I miss you'_ part."

"Also, tell Dawn to get rid of the bunny pjs. Does she have no respect for the dead?"

I failed at hiding that laugh. Miserably. "You got it. Burning Dawn's bunny pjs."

Anya looked down, at the ground, and when she looked back up, we were suddenly in the Sunnydale cemetery.

Another check in the dream column. They were adding up quick, those checks.

"Why are we here?" I asked.

I felt like I was Ebenezer Scrooge being carted around by ghosts.

Anya's face dropped into an extremely serious expression. She silently pointed to a grave stone. Ghost of Christmas yet to come?

I turned to where she pointed.

_ "Buffy Anne Summers  
>1981-2001<br>Beloved Sister  
>Devoted Friend<br>She Saved The World A lot."_

I swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in my throat. Apparently not the 'yet-to-come' after all.

Side note. It's weird to see your own headstone. Especially when you're alive.

"My grave…why are we at my grave?"

She was silent.

"Am I going to die again?" I asked, quietly. I couldn't bare to think of it. The hurt I would cause…Dawn, Giles, Xander, Willow, Faith, The Doctor….

She lost the serious face for a moment and smirked. "Spoilers."

I shook my head and stared at my grave stone. This whole 'spoilers' bit was getting increasingly annoying awfully fast.

I turned around back to Anya. Her eyes were wide, blackened, and she was glowing. It was weird. And probably not good. It meant we were back to business.

She spoke and the voice that came out, was not her own. It was neither male nor female nor was it human at all, really.

_"You think you know ... what's to come ... what you are. You haven't even begun."_*

"Well, that sounds fairly familiar. And completely unhelpful."

_"Curând, el vine. Pentru tine. Pentru ea. Pentru răzbunare."_**

"Oh. Great. Foreign languages."

She leaned over and kissed me on the forehead. 

* * *

><p>My eyes flew open. The room was dark, but I instantly knew that I was in the TARDIS.<p>

I sat up and rubbed my now throbbing head.

I was dreaming about something, but I couldn't quite place my metaphorical finger on exactly what about.

I recalled there being a weird language involved.

Something about…current…raspberries? Huh? No, that's not right.

I shook my head. The dream was lost.

I slipped out of bed, wrapping the sheet under my arms and around my body, as a mock bathrobe. I tip toed out of the bedroom and down the hall, towards the console room.

He had his back to me, as he played with some buttons here and some levers there.

Memories of the night before flooded my mind and I blushed a bit, thankful he couldn't see.

I walked silently up behind him and slid my arms around his waist.

"Why, hello there sweetheart." he said, turning around, my arms still wrapped around him.

"Good morning. Wait, is it morning?" I asked. Time travel is confusing.

He laughed. "Good morning works well enough. Sleep well?"

"Yeah, for the most part."

"For the most part?"

"I was dreaming…about, well I don't really remember, honestly. It seemed like it was important…" I said, trying to remember.

I shook my head.

"But it's lost now."

"Well that's…useful." he said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Couldn't have been too important if I don't remember it, right?"

"Right." he smiled.

I looked towards the console.

"So, are we home yet?"

"All it takes is a flip of…this lever right here." he smiled, tapping the lever in question. "I was just waiting for you to wake up."

"And we're really going to be home this time, right? You've specified New York. Just one 'New'. Not New New New New New York. I mean not that I didn't thoroughly enjoy getting kidnapped and stuck on a disgusting motor way that takes twenty years to pass and it's not like I didn't enjoy the cat people, because, really, I did…."

"Er, well, yeah. It should be right. Mostly."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear the end of that sentence."

"Go get dressed and we'll find out, eh?" His eyes danced with the possibility of an adventure.

I grinned. "Orrr….we could take a few minutes off to the side…"

He rolled his eyes and smirked. "You're a little minx, aren't you? Go get dressed, Buffy."

I sighed. "Okkkaaayyyy, I'll be quick as a bunny. Ooh, sorry Anya."

He raised an eyebrow at my Anya comment.

I opened my mouth to explain Anya's bunny phobia but thought better of it. Something in my memory flicked a bit at the mention of Anya's name. Like I was supposed to know something. No, not know. Deliver. I felt like I was supposed to deliver a message but for the life of me, I had no idea what that message was, who it was from or who it was to. But it was definitely something to do with Anya. I think. Maybe.

I shook my head and dashed off, as gracefully as possible while wrapped in a giant sheet, towards the wardrobe room.

Which, by the way, is the _best_ room in the entire TARDIS. It even beats the kitchen, which is also a favorite of mine. Hands down it beats the kitchen.

I wasn't actually positive that we were landing in the right New York. Our last attempt at going home was completely unsuccessful. We landed in New-times-five-York and I was randomly abducted by a young couple to be their third passenger on the motorway. Which took anywhere from five to thirty years to navigate. Awesome, right?

I had learned, very quickly, to have some doubts about the TARDIS' landing abilities. Though, I did get to meet the Face of Boe which is said to be a great honor. I also watched him die and tell the Doctor a great secret as he went.

Secrets. Death. Cat people.

Yep. Pretty much the story of my life.

Er, well, kind of.

Mostly just with the secrets and death thing. It's my gift. Though, if we scratch out 'cat people' and insert 'demons from Hell', it works better.

I pulled on a pair of jeans and a black camisole. I grabbed a fitted olive colored jacket and black boots. I got out to the console room just as we were landing.

The Doctor noticed my arrival, probably because I almost fell on him as we were landing, and ushered me towards the door.

"Ladies first." he smiled.

I pulled on my jacket and walked out the doors, with the Doctor in tow.

"Ah, smell that Atlantic breeze. Nice and cold. Lovely." he said, from behind me.

"Well, the Statue of Liberty. That's always a good sign when one is headed for plain old New York." I said, hopeful.

"Gateway to the New World. _'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to break free…'_ So good, they named it twice. Mind you, it was New Amsterdam originally. Harder to say twice. No wonder it didn't catch on. New Amsterdam, New Amsterdam…."

I turned my head sideways and noticed something peculiar about one of the buildings. I rolled my eyes and tapped the Doctor on the shoulder.

"I don't mean to interrupt your little monologue there, but we've got a problem."

"Problem? What?"

"This isn't the right New York."

"How do you mean?"

"Look, over there." I said, pointing to the building. "Isn't that the Empire State Building?"

"Oh, yes. I suppose it is."

"It's not finished."

"No…no, it's not." he agreed.

"So we're in the wrong time."

"Wellllll…."

I picked up a newspaper off of a bench.

"November 1, 1930. Says so, right here."

"You're getting good at this." he smirked.

I rolled my eyes.

"Eighty-ish years ago isn't quite what we were looking for."

The Doctor snatched the paper from me, reading the headline more thoroughly.

"I think our detour just got longer."

"_'Hooverville Mystery Deepens'_. What's Hooverville? Is it like, the land of the vacuums or something? And why do we have to investigate it?"

The Doctor glared the 'you should know better' look and took my hand as we started to walk.

"Herbert Hoover, thirty-first President of the USA, came to power a year ago. Up till then New York was a boom town, the Roaring Twenties, and then…"

"The Wall Street Crash, right? When was that, 1929?"

"Very good, sweetheart. Look at you, learning history. I'm honestly quite proud. Whole economy wiped out overnight. Thousands of people unemployed. Suddenly the huddled masses doubled in number with nowhere to go. So they ended up here in Central Park."

"And turned it into Hooverville."

He nodded.

Just then, we arrived at the very place. It was definitely a collection of quickly put together tents and shacks. There were random fire barrels throughout. I had a very sudden recollection of singing over a fire barrel. I hoped this wasn't going to turn into another _'Buffy-goes-Broadway'_ thing. I kept my ears peeled for the starting chords of a song, just in case.

"Ordinary people. Lost their jobs. Couldn't pay the rent and they lost everything. There are places like this all over America. You only come to Hooverville when there's nowhere else to go."

Suddenly, there was shouting coming from down the, er, um, street? I guess?

Two men were fighting over, I think, some bread. An older man, probably around Giles' age, stepped out of his tent and attempted at breaking up the fight. However, the two fighters ignored him and continued on. I started to step forward to help break it up, because I mean, hello, that's what I'm good at, but the Doctor held me back.

"What? I can help."

"Just observe, Buffy."

"Okkkayyy. But if someone gets hurt…"

He did the glare thing again.

"Okay okay." I said, giving up.

Eventually, the Giles-ish man got man number two to reveal that he had indeed stole man number one's bread.

"No stealin' and no fightin'. You know the rules. Thirteen years ago I fought in the Great War. A lot of us did. And the only reason we got through was because we stuck together! No matter how bad things get, we still act like human beings. It's all we got." the Giles-ish man said.

"Come on." the Doctor whispered to me, as he walked towards Giles-ish man.

"Oh, yeah, now we get to intervene when the fighting's done. Pffft." I said, under my breath.

"I suppose that makes you the boss around here?" the Doctor asked.

"And, uh, who might you be?"

"He's the Doctor. I'm Buffy."

"A doctor." he scoffed. "Well, we got, uh, stockbrokers, we got a lawyer, but you're the first doctor. Neighborhood gets classier by the day." he added, warming his hands by a fire barrel.

"How many people live here?" I asked, curiously.

"At any one time, hundreds. No place else to go. But I will say this about Hooverville. We are a truly equal society, black, white, all the same. All starving. So you're welcome. Both of you. But tell me, Doctor, you're a man of learning, right? Explain this to me. That there's going to be the tallest building in the world. How come they can do that, and we got people starving in the heart of Manhattan?" he said, pointing to the Empire State Building.

"So…men are going missing. Is this true?" the Doctor asked, holding up the newspaper.

"It's true all right." he said, walking into his tent.

The Doctor and I followed, but stopped at the opening.

"But what does missing mean? Men must come and go here all the time. It's not like anyone's keeping a register." the Doctor asked.

Giles-ish sat down and waved us in. We followed his invite and sat down. "This is different."

"In what way?" I asked.

"Someone takes them. At night. We hear something. Someone calls out for help. By the time we get there, they're gone. Like they vanish into thin air."

"And you're sure someone's taking them?" I asked.

"Buffy was it? When you got next to nothing, you hold on to the little you got. Your knife, blanket, you take it with you. You don't leave bread uneaten, fire still burning."

"Have you been to the police?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah, we tried that. Another deadbeat goes missing, big deal."

"In my experience, the police are _never_ any help. So, the question is, who's taking them and what for?" I asked.

A young man stuck his head inside the tent.

"Solomon, Mr. Diagoras is here."

Giles-ish, er, Solomon, stood. "Thank you, Frank."

He nodded at Frank and walked outside. The Doctor and I followed. This Mr. Diagoras was speaking to the men, lecture style.

"I need men. Volunteers. I got a little work for you and you sure look like you can use the money."

"Yeah. What is the money?" Frank asked, coming out of Solomon's tent behind us.

"A dollar a day."

The men around grumbled a bit. If the Doublemeat Palace offered me a dollar a day, I would have laughed in their faces.

"What's the work?" Solomon asked.

"A little trip down the sewers. Got a tunnel that collapsed needs clearing and fixing. Any takers?"

"A dollar a day? That's slave wage. Men don't always come back up, do they?" the Doctor asked.

"Accidents happen."

The peaked my interest, as well as the Doctor's.

"What do you mean? What sort of accidents?" he asked again.

"You don't need the work? That's fine. Anybody else?" Mr. Diagoras asked.

The Doctor raised his hand. Mr. Diagoras rolled his eyes. "Enough with the questions."

"Oh, no. I'm volunteering." he said.

My eyes widened.

I hate the sewers. With an extreme passion. In the last seven years, I've probably done more sewer time than actual city workers. It's a smell that doesn't come out easily.

"You're lucky I love you." I whispered angrily into the Doctor's ear. He just smirked. 

* * *

><p>A bit later we were climbing down through a manhole, ready to traipse through New York sewers.<p>

I sighed heavily.

"Alright, Buffy?" the Doctor asked me, quietly.

"I _really_ hate the sewers." I replied, through clenched teeth. "I'm pretty sure you know that." I added.

He just did his silly like maniacal grin that I love so much and grabbed my hand.

"Turn left. Go about half a mile. Follow Tunnel two-seven-three. Fall's right ahead of you. You can't miss it." Mr. Diagoras said.

"And when do we get our dollar?" Frank asked.

"When you come back up."

"And if we don't come back up?" I asked.

"Then I got no one to pay." he answered, in a creepy tone.

Yep, this was definitely a bad guy. He was making me all Slayer-crazy.

"We'll be back." Solomon assured.

"Let's hope so. I have plans. Plans that involve places other than our current location." I said, starting down the tunnel.

I stopped and let Solomon and Frank go ahead of me when I noticed the Doctor wasn't immediately following. I turned back and there was a staring contest going on between him and Mr. Diagoras.

I ran back and grabbed the Doctor by the hand, pulling him along. After a moment, he turned back away from Mr. Diagoras.

"Doctor, I don't trust him. Something about him makes me all Slayer-y." I whispered.

He just nodded and pulled me forward.

We caught up with Frank and Solomon in a few quick paces.

"We just gotta stick together. It's easy to get lost. It's like a huge rabbit warren. You could hide an army down here." Frank said.

"See Buffy? He speaks your language. Sewers aren't _all_ bad…you could hide an army here." the Doctor smiled.

I nodded in semi agreement. "Sure would've been useful a few months ago."

I didn't miss the look that Frank and Solomon shared.

We walked silently after that for a few minutes.

"So what about you, Frank? You're not from around these parts, are you?" I asked.

"No, no, I'm from Tennessee, born and bred."

"So how come you're here?"

"Uh, my daddy died. Mama…couldn't afford to feed us all. So, I'm the oldest, up to me to feed myself, so put on my coat, hitched up here on the railroads. There's a whole lot of runaways in camp younger than me. From all over; Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas…Solomon keeps a lookout for us. So, what about you two?"

"Yeah, we're just hitchers too."

"You stick with me, you'll be all right."

I smiled. I liked Frank. He was a good kid.

"So this Diagoras bloke, who is he then?" the Doctor asked.

"A couple of months ago, he was just another foreman. Now it seems like he's running most of Manhattan." Solomon answered.

"How did he manage that, then?"

"These are strange times. A man can go from being King of the Hill to the lowest of the low overnight. It's just for some folks it works the other way 'round."

I went to take another step forward, not really paying attention to where I was walking, on account of the conversation between the Doctor and Solomon, when the Doctor grabbed my elbow and stopped me from stepping in a pile of….blob. Glowing blob.

"Ickkk. Is it radioactive or something? It smells horrible." I asked, standing back, covering my nose and mouth.

The Doctor bent down next to it and slipped on his specs. He carefully picked it up and started to gently prod at it with the sonic doo-hickey.

"….And you've got to pick it up." I said, shaking my head.

The Doctor sniffed it. Gross.

"Shine your torch through it." he said.

I did as requested.

"Composite organic matter. Buffy? Your expert, other worldly, opinion?"

"It's not human. I don't need Slayer senses to tell me that."

I didn't miss the look that Solomon and Frank shared, yet again.

"No, it's not. And I'll tell you something else. We must be at least half a mile in and I don't see any sign of a collapse, do you? So why did Mr. Diagoras send us down here?"

"Probably not for anything good. So where are we now? What's above us?" I asked.

It's almost hysterical how fast I can turn into the Slayer.

"Well…we're right underneath Manhattan." the Doctor answered.

"We're way beyond half a mile. There's no collapse, nothing." Solomon said, walking forward.

"I _knew_ I didn't trust that guy. You should've listened to me. I told you something about him made me Slayer-y." I huffed.

The Doctor just nodded, absentmindedly agreeing.

"So why did he want people to come down here?" Frank asked.

"Solomon, I think it's time you and Frank went back. Buffy and I will be much quicker on our own."

A loud squealing noise echoed through the tunnels.

"What the hell was that?" Solomon exclaimed.

"Hello?" Frank called out.

I clapped my hand over his mouth and motioned for him to be quiet.

But he wasn't having it.

He pulled my hand off of his mouth.

"What if it's one of the folk gone missing? You'd be scared, half-mad down here on your own!"

The Doctor turned to him.

"Do you think they're still alive?"

"Heck, we ain't seen no bodies down here. Maybe they just got lost."

More squealing.

"I know I never heard nobody make a sound like that." Solomon pitched in.

The Doctor turned back and walked ahead of us. I scrambled up behind him. I would've grabbed his hand,but, you know, the blobby stuff. Ick. No thanks.

"Sounds like there's more than one of 'em." Frank said.

"This way." the Doctor said.

Solomon shined his light down a different tunnel.

"No, this way." he said, motioning for us to follow him.

Solomon's light caught a huddled figure on the ground.

"Oh, Doctor darling…" I said, calling out.

He quickly rejoined us.

"Who are you?" Solomon asked.

"Are you lost? Can you understand me? I've been thinkin' about folk lost…" Frank said, as he started to walk towards the figure. I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.

"It's all right, Frank. Just stay back. Let me have a look." the Doctor said, as he walked past us, towards the figure.

"He's got a point, though, my mate Frank. I'd hate to be stuck down here on my own."

The figure squealed.

"We know the way out. Daylight. If you want to come with us." he continued, shining the light on the figure's face. "Oh, but what are you?"

It was a man. Well, kind of. He was built like a man. But he had the facial features of a pig.

I'd seen worse, I thought. Definitely seen worse. I actually even felt bad for the guy.

"Is, uh, that some kind of carnival mask?" Solomon asked.

"No, it's real." I said, quietly.

"I'm sorry. Now listen to me. I promise I can help. Now, who did this to you?" the Doctor said to the pig man.

My senses flared up in a big way. I slowly lifted my head up, away from the Doctor and the sad pig man, and noticed that more pig men had filled up the opposite end of the tunnel. These pig men seemed like they would be less friendly than the one currently huddled on the floor. I also took a brief second to register the fact that my Slayer senses had sensed pig men. In some distant universe, that just didn't seem right.

"Doctor, I think you'd better see this." I said, quietly.

He waved his hand at me to shush. I rolled my eyes. Just like him. Always ignoring an emergency.

"Doctor!" I yelled it louder this time.

He acknowledged me, and the oncoming pig men, this time. "Actually…we should be going now." he said, standing up and backing towards us.

"They're following you." I said.

"Yeah, I noticed that, thanks. Well then, Buffy, Frank, Solomon…

"What?" Frank asked.

The Doctor glanced at me and I could see it in his eyes. I resisted laughing.

"Um, basically…run!" he shouted.

We'd spent a long portion of this journey running.

We raced down the tunnel, only getting confused once. The pig men were right behind us, all the way.

"There's a ladder!" the Doctor yelled.

He ascended first, using the sonic doo-hickey on the lid. I scrambled up after him. I thought that Solomon was behind me, but when I reached the top, I looked back down and saw him hesitating. Frank had picked up a metal rod and was trying to hold the pig men off.

"Frank!" Solomon yelled, climbing the ladder. The Doctor and I moved so Solomon could get through. Once he was up, we resumed our position at the opening.

Frank turned and noticed that we were all safely up. He ran for the ladder and started climbing. The Doctor and I reached our hands down, holding them out to him.

"Come on, Frank! No pressure, but a little faster!" I yelled.

"I've got ya. C'mon!" the Doctor yelled.

We each got a hold of one of Frank's wrists, but the pig men were too much. There were more of them pulling on Frank. It was just the Doctor and I on our side, and even with my super strength, Frank's wrists and hands were sweaty. All it took was a giant pull from the pig men and Frank slipped out of our grips.

"Frank!" I yelled as he fell.

"No!" the Doctor shouted, dejectedly.

I quickly noticed one of the pig men advancing up the ladder. I shoved the Doctor out of the way and dropped the sewer lid down, before that little piggy got up to us.

The Doctor pushed me aside and started to grip at the lid. He pulled the sonic back out of his pocket and I grabbed it from him.

"We can't go after him." I whispered.

"We gotta go back down! We can't just leave him!" the Doctor yelled.

"Do you remember what I said to you, so long ago now, right before I died…er, right before Glory? In the cemetery?"

His gaze softened.

"You are far too important to me. If I lost you…I don't even know what I would do." he repeated.

"Exactly." I said, taking his hands in mine.

"If we go after them, they'll take us all! There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry." Solomon added, quietly.

A pretty blonde lady stepped out from behind a shelf. I looked up and noticed that we were in some sort of prop room. Her blonde hair was styled and curled up just over her hears. She was slim, but not skinny. Her skin was pale. But not vamp-pale. Creamy-I-don't-tan pale. Oh, also, she had a gun pointed at us.

"All right then. Put 'em up." she said.

"I _really_ hate guns." I said, standing up. Being fatally shot will do that to a person.

She cocked the gun. "Hands in the air and no funny business!"

I rolled my eyes and put my hands in the air. The Doctor and Solomon did the same, but without the eye rolling.

"Now tell me, you schmucks, what've you done with Lazlo?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "Lazlo? Who in the hell is Lazlo?"

"Lazlo's my boyfriend, or was my boyfriend until two weeks ago. No letter, no good-bye, no nothin'. And I'm not stupid. I know some guys are just pigs but not my Lazlo. I mean, what kinda guy asks you to meet his mother before he vamooses?" She waved the gun the entire time she talked.

"It might, might just help if you put that down." the Doctor said, using his raised hand to point at the gun.

"Huh? Oh, the gun, yeah, sure." She tossed it into a nearby chair. "Oh, c'mon. It's not real. It's just a prop. It was either that or a spear."

We all put our hands down.

"What do you think happened to Lazlo?" I asked.

"I wish I knew. One minute he's there, the next, zip—vanished."

"Listen, ah—what's your name?" the Doctor asked.

"Tallulah."

"Tallulah."

"3 Ls and an H."

"Right. Um, we can try to find Lazlo, but he's not the only one. There are people disappearing every night."

"And there are creatures. Such creatures." Solomon added.

"Whaddaya mean "creatures"?"

"Look. Listen, just trust me. Everyone is in danger. I need to find out exactly what this is because then I'll know exactly what we're fighting." the Doctor said, taking the gross blobby thing out of his pocket. I blanched.

"Yech!" Tallulah yelled, backing away from it. 

* * *

><p>Tallulah and I were in her dressing room. Apparently, she was a chorus girl and the sewer ladder we had come up, had been right into her theatre. She was busy putting on her costume and makeup, getting ready for the performance. The Doctor and Solomon had stayed in the prop room. The Doctor was scavenging for…something. I'll be honest, I wasn't listening. I know I should've been, but this day was turning seriously long. I found myself wishing we were back on the TARDIS.<p>

"Lazlo…He'd wait for me after the show, walk me home like I was a lady. He'd leave a flower for me on my dressing table. Every day, just a single rose."

"Haven't you reported him missing?" I asked.

"Sure. He's just a stagehand. Who cares? The management certainly don't. "

"Can't you make a fuss or something?"

"Okay, so then they fire me."

"But they'd listen to you. You're one of the stars, aren't you?"

"Oh, honey, I got one stone in a back street revue and that's only because Heidi Chicane broke her ankle—which had nothin' to do with me whatever anybody says. I can't afford to make a fuss. If I don't make this month's rent, then before you know it, I'm in Hooverville."

I flashed back to my real world troubles after I came back from the dead.

"Yeah, I get it. Basically, money sucks."

"It's the Depression, sweetie. Your heart might break, but the show goes on and if it stops, you starve. Every night I have to go out there, sing, dance, keep goin'. Hoping he's gonna come back."

She broke down and started to cry. The compassion in me tugged and tore at my heart strings. I reached down and hugged her.

"I'm sorry." I said, gently.

Tallulah pulled out of the hug and wiped her eyes.

"Hey, you're lucky, though. You got yourself a forward thinking guy with that hot potato in the sharp suit."

I giggled. The Doctor a hot potato, eh?

"I sure do." I agreed.

"You two are completely in love, I can tell. I see the way you look at him and the way he looks at you. It's obvious."

I smiled. "It sure took us long enough to figure it out."

Tallulah nodded her head.

"Still, ya gotta live in hope. It's the only thing that's kept me going 'cause…look. On my dressing table every day still."

She picked up a white rose and handed it to me.

"You think it's Lazlo?"

"I don't know. If he's still around, why's he bein' all secret like he doesn't want me to see him?"

I shook my head. "I don't know."

Tallulah sat quiet for a minute and then jumped up quickly.

"Girls, it's Showtime!" 

* * *

><p>I ran up the stairs and joined the Doctor in the empty balcony seat.<p>

He had his specs on, stethoscope out and he was thoroughly examining the blobby thing. The announcer came over a microphone and introduced Tallulah and her line of chorus girls.

"Genetically engineered. Whoever this is, oh, you're clever." the Doctor said to no one in particular.

"Huh?"

The Doctor looked up, noticing me.

"Oh, um, Fundamental DNA type 467-989. 989. Hold on, that means planet of origin."

His eyes widened, I want to say in shock or horror. Maybe a bit of both. His jaw dropped.

"Skaro."

I felt the confusion play across my face. "Who-o?"

He didn't answer me, he just rushed down, out of the balcony.

I was about to follow him when I noticed something off to the side of the stage. Besides the dancing girls. There was someone hiding, yes definitely hiding, behind the curtain ropes.

With the theatre being full of people, I couldn't just jump down off the balcony. I sighed, cursing secret identities for the first time in a long time, and ran down the balcony stairs, towards the stage.

Once I got to the bottom, I suddenly cared nothing about the people in the seats, but only for Tallulah's safety. It was obvious that the someone in question was most definitely watching her. I jumped up on the stage and ran through the chorus girls, who were screaming and yelling at me in hushed tones.

"Get off the stage! You're spoilin' it!" Tallulah yelled, trying to push me away.

"You're not safe. Look!" I said, pointing to the man behind the ropes. He was in full view now and was definitely one of the pig men. Tallulah looked towards where I was pointing and screamed. The pig guy froze for a minute, before running away.

"Hey! Get back here!" I yelled, running after him.

We were back in the prop room. The pig man ran down into the sewer and I stopped abruptly. There was no way in hell I was going back to the farm. At least not by myself.

Suddenly, I was grabbed, forcefully, from behind, by three pairs of arms. A fourth pig man came at me from the front. I tried to wrestle with all four of them, but the other three behind me had an extremely tight hold on me. I could feel the breath leaving my lungs. The little piggy's were stronger than they looked. I managed to let out a resounding scream before I collapsed into blackness. 

* * *

><p>When I awoke, I found myself being pushed against a wall.<p>

My head was throbbing and it hurt to breathe. Great. Just what I needed. Broken ribs.

More pig men were walking by, leading a line of humans. I quickly noticed Frank in one of the lines and he noticed me too.

"Buffy!"

I quickly ran over to join him in line. I pulled him into a hug.

"Frank! We thought we'd lost you!"

One of the pig guys came up behind us and pushed us to keep moving.

"All right! All right, we're moving. Don't get your snout in a twist, Miss Piggy."

"Wait. Where are they taking us?" Frank asked.

"I don't know, but I certainly plan on finding out what's going on down here." 

* * *

><p>We had been cornered off into a section of tunnel and we were being guarded by the pigs.<p>

"What are they keeping us here for?" Frank asked.

"I don't know. But I've got all kinds of nasty feelings telling me it's nor for anything good."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the Doctor, Tallulah and the pig man that I had followed into the prop room, hiding behind a section of wall.

I looked all around me, trying to find a way motion to the Doctor that I saw him, to no avail.

Suddenly, an idea flicked through my brain.

"Hey, Wilbur! I think you broke some of my ribs. I need a _doctor_!" I shouted, putting emphasis on the Doctor bit.

I saw the Doctor's eyes waver over to me. I winked at him. He smiled but it quickly faded as soon as the piggy's started to squeal, excitedly.

"What're they doing? What's wrong?" Frank asked nervously.

I opened my mouth to answer but I closed it quickly.

A thing that I can only describe as a metal, four foot tin can on wheels, with knobs and kitchenware attached to the front of it, glided into the tunnel.

When it spoke, it spoke just like what I might have expected a robot to sound like. If I hadn't of known better, anyway.

"Silence. Silence." Tinny-can said.

"What is that?" Frank asked, horrified.

I again opened my mouth to say something witty and pun-y, but I saw the Doctor frantically signing at me to keep my mouth shut. So I did.

"You will form a line. Move." Tinny said.

The pig men scrambled about and pushed us into a line.

"Just do what it says, everyone, okay? Just obey." I said, as calmly as I could. When the Doctor is freaking out, it's generally not a good thing.

"The female is wise. Obey!"

A second tin can thing glided in behind the first one.

"Report."

"These are strong specimens. They will help the Dalek cause."

My eyes widened in shock. Daleks? The Doctor told me about the Daleks. Nothing good was going to come from this. I caught the Doctor's eye and he just nodded, confirming.

"What is the status of the Final Experiment?" Dalek number one asked.

"The Dalekanium is in place. The energy conductor is now complete." Dalek number two answered.

"Then I will extract prisoners for selection."

One of the pig men brought an older man forward. Dalek number one extended his sucker thing towards the man's face. Every part of me cringed.

"Intelligence scan. Initiate. Reading brain waves. Low intelligence."

"You calling me stupid?" the man asked, offended.

"This one will become a pig slave."

Two pig men came and took him away, as he screamed for them to let him go.

The Dalek moved to next in line, which happened to be me.

Awesome.

"Intelligence scan. Initiate. Superior intelligence. This one will become part of the Final Experiment."

"Superior intelligence? Really? Hey! Wait a minute! You can't just experiment on people! It's insane! It's inhuman!"

"We are not human. Prisoners of high intelligence will be taken to the transgenic laboratory."

Two pig men came up and grabbed a hold of my arms and tossed me into a different line. I was yet again standing next to Frank. We started to move and I noticed the Doctor flatten himself against the wall, while the pig man that was with them, grabbed Tallulah and they started to run down the opposite direction.

I barely heard the commotion between the pig man and the Doctor. The pig man was Lazlo, as I had suspected quite honestly. He was staying with the Doctor while sending Tallulah back by herself.

Thank you Slayer hearing.

We moved right past where the Doctor had himself hid away. When Frank and I got up to him, he fell in line between the two of us and Lazlo joined the back of the line, acting like one of the guards.

"Just keep walking." the Doctor whispered.

"I'm so glad to see you." I slipped my hand in his for a second and squeezed.

"Yeah, well, you can kiss me later. You too, Frank, if you want." he smirked.

We arrived in the laboratory then. I slipped my hand out of the Doctor's.

"Report." Dalek one said upon entering.

"Dalek Sec is in the final stage of evolution." the Dalek in question answered. I'm going to call him Dalek three, for the sake of not being totally confused.

"Scan him. Prepare for birth." Dalek one ordered.

"Evolution?" the Doctor whispered.

"What's the Final Experiment?" I whispered back.

"Ask them."

"Are you serious? You want me to ask the extremely dangerous tin can…things…that, might I mention, terrify _you_, of all people, what their big plan is?"

"I don't exactly want to get noticed. Ask them what's going on." he responded, harshly.

I took a deep breath.

"Daleks, I demand to be told. What is this Final Experiment? Report!"

"You will bear witness." Dalek one said, spinning around.

"To what?"

"This is the dawn of a new age." he…she…it answered.

"And in English that means…" I pressed.

"We are the only four Daleks so the species must evolve a life outside the shell. The Children of Skaro must walk again."

There was a large shell, powered up to a bunch of different things I couldn't even explain if I actually knew what I was talking about. The shell powered down and the casing opened. Inside, was what I assumed, and assumed correctly, to be a human-Dalek hybrid. Dalek Sec is what they had called it. The body was definitely that of Mr. Diagoras. The head, however, was not. It had a mouth, one eye and tentacles. It's hands were claw-like.

If there's two things I'm not fond of, it's face tentacles and claw hands.

Dalek Sec spoke, slowly.

"I am a human Dalek. I am your future." 

* * *

><p><strong>**<span>AN2:** The Romanian translates to "Soon he comes. For you. For her. For vengeance."


	9. Evolution of the Daleks

**Disclaimer:** Yep. Still don't own 'em. Sad-face.

**Chapter Nine: Evolution of the Daleks**

I'm not entirely sure what a human Dalek would mean, but I didn't think it meant anything stellar. I turned to whisper something to the Doctor, but, when I turned, I noticed that he had slipped off somewhere.

"These…humans will become like me. Prepare them for hybridisation." Dalek Sec said.

The pig slaves came closing in on us. I jumped out of line and stuck myself in front of Frank and the other prisoners.

"You want them, you have to go through me first." I said, wishing I had thought of some kind of weapon first.

Music began to drift through the lab.

"What is that sound?" Dalek Sec asked.

The Doctor stepped out, holding a radio in his hands.

"That would be me." he said, setting the radio down. "Hello. Surprise. Boo. Et cetera."

I smirked.

"Doctor!" Dalek Sec said, recognizing him.

"The enemy of the Daleks." said Dalek numero uno.

"Exterminate." ordered Dalek number two.

"Wait!" Dalek Sec commanded.

"Well, then. A new form of Dalek. Fascinating and very clever." the Doctor said, conversationally.

"The Cult of Skaro escaped your slaughter." said Dalek Sec.

"How did you end up in 1930?"

"Emergency Temporal Shift."

"Oh, that must have roasted up your power cells, yeah?" the Doctor scoffed. He started to pace about.

"Time was, four Daleks could have conquered the world but instead your skulking away, hidden in the dark, experimenting. All of which results in you."

"I am Dalek in human form."

I rolled my eyes. I wanted to make a cute little pun about how we had already visited that point, but I felt it would probably be better if I kept my mouth shut for once. I really didn't want to see what these tin cans were capable of.

"What does it feel like? You can talk to me, Dalek Sec. It is Dalek Sec, isn't it? That's your name? You've got a name and a mind of your own. Tell me what you're thinking right now."

"I…feel…humanity."

"Good. That's good."

"I…feel…everything we wanted from mankind, which is ambition, hatred, aggression and war. Such…a genius for war."

"No, that's not what humanity means."

"I think it does. At heart, this species is so very…Dalek."

"All right, so what have you achieved hen? With this Final Experiment, eh? Nothing!  
>'Cause I can show you what you're missing with this thing. Simple little radio."<p>

"What is the purpose of that device?"

"Well, exactly. It plays music. What's the point of that? Oh, but, with music, you can dance to it, sing with it, even fall in love to it."

He looked at me as he said the last bit and smiled a small-ish smile. He turned back to the Daleks.

"Unless you're a Dalek of course. Then it's just noise."

The Doctor grabbed his sonic doo-hickey and pointed it at the radio. An extremely high pitch wail emanated from it. Dalek Sec grabbed his head, in immense pain, while the other Daleks scrambled about erratically. The Doctor turned towards us.

"Run!"

The prisoners all did as he said and ran out, Frank included. The Doctor grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him.

We made our way down a random series of tunnels and found Tallulah, huddled up against a wall, lost.

"Tallulah! Run!" I yelled.

"What's happened to Lazlo?" she panicked.

I turned around to see the pig men chasing us with Dalek One and Dalek Two behind them.

"Never mind worrying about Lazlo right now! We've got bigger problems!" I shouted, pushing her towards a ladder at the end of the tunnel.

It wasn't long before we were returning to Hooverville. We gathered around a fire. The Doctor pulled up two crates for Tallulah and myself to sit on.

"These Daleks, they sound like the stuff of nightmares. And they wanna breed?" Solomon asked.

"They're splicing themselves into human bodies. If I'm right, they've got a farm of breeding stock right here in Hooverville. We've got to get everyone out."

"Hooverville's the lowest place a man can fall. There's nowhere else to go." Solomon stated.

"I'm sorry, Solomon. You've got to scatter. Go anywhere. Down to the railroads, travel across state, just get out of New York."

"There's got to be a way to reason with these things." Solomon insisted.

"There's not a chance." I said, quietly.

"You ain't seen 'em, boss." Frank agreed.

"Daleks are bad enough at anytime, but right now they're vulnerable and that makes them more dangerous than ever." the Doctor explained.

All of a sudden, a loud whistle was blowing throughout the air.

"What is that?" I asked, standing up. My senses were all…prickly.

"They're coming! They're coming!" the whistle blower shouted.

"A sentry. Must have seen somethin'." Solomon said, standing up as well.

"They're here! I seen 'em! Monsters! They're monsters!" the sentry shouted back.

"It's started." the Doctor said, almost silently. In fact, I don't think I would have registered him saying anything at all, if it weren't for my Slayer hearing.

"We're under attack! Everyone to arms!" Solomon shouted to his men.

They all started passing out guns and other various weapons that they had collected.

I ran up and stood next to the Doctor. "Knew I should've grabbed my scythe out of the TARDIS."

He didn't answer, he just nodded in agreement. That itself alerted me to the real danger of the situation.

The Doctor, who absolutely abhorred violence of any kind, was agreeing to me using the scythe.

"I'm ready, boss, but some of the residents run off." Frank said, running up to Solomon.

"Come back! We gotta stick together! It's not safe out there! Come back!" Solomon shouted to the runners.

The pig slaves ran up, completely invading Hooverville, attacking anyone that dared escaping.

"We need to get out of the park." I said to the Doctor.

He shook his head.

"We can't! They're on all sides. They're driving people back towards us."

"We're trapped." Tallulah said, walking up to us.

I nodded. "Looks like it. Tallulah, get behind me and stay behind me. I mean it. Stay put. I'll protect you."

"Are you serious?" she asked, astounded.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I'm serious. I'm stronger than I look. A lot stronger. If you want to stay alive, then stay behind me."

"We stand together." Solomon said.

By now, the pig slaves had forced us all into a tight circle by the fire.

"They can't take all of us!" Solomon yelled, as he started firing his rifle.

"If they can hold them off long enough for me to get to the TARDIS and back…"

The Doctor lifted his head, up to the sky.

"Oh, Buffy, love, they're just the foot soldiers."

Everyone turned their heads upwards.

"Oh. My. God." Tallulah said.

"They fly. Of course they do. Why wouldn't they fly?" I said, sarcastically.

"What in this world—" Solomon said.

"It's the devil. A devil in the sky. God save us all. It's damnation." the sentry boy said, frantically.

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that!" Frank shouted. He fired his rifle at the Dalek, but, obviously, the bullets did no damage whatsoever.

"That's not gonna work." The Doctor said as he reached over and pushed his rifle down.

"There's more than one of them." I said, pointing up.

The Daleks began to attack, firing upon the settlement, causing explosions and fires. I managed to just miss a laser-y…laser thing as I ducked and rolled to the ground.

"The humans will surrender." one of the Daleks said.

The Doctor ran out in front of all of us.

"Leave them alone! They've done nothing to you!" he shouted at the Dalek.

"We have located the Doctor!" a different Dalek said.

Solomon started to step forward, but the Doctor held him back.

"No, Solomon. Stay back." he warned.

"I'm told that I'm addressin' the Daleks, is that right? From what I hear, you're  
>outcasts, too." Solomon said.<p>

"Solomon, don't." I said, stepping forward.

"Young lady, this is my township, you will respect my authority." he said seriously.

"Just let me try." he added.

I regretfully stepped back, hoping that they weren't going to laser him. Or use that plunger looking thing…whatever that did.

"Daleks…ain't we all the same? Underneath, ain't we all kin? 'Cause, see, I've just discovered this past day God's universe is a thousand times the size I thought it was. And that scares me. Oh, yeah. Terrifies me. Right down to the bone. But it's got to give me hope…hope that maybe together we can make a better tomorrow. So I…I beg you now if you have any compassion in your hearts then you'll meet with us and stop this fight. Well…what do you say?"

"Exterminate!" a Dalek said. He fired a laser-y thing and it hit Solomon, killing him.

My heart fell. I had known that something like that was going to happen. Guilt started to rise up in me, but I squashed it down, as best as I could. I would have to save it for later, when we weren't being attacked by giant, knobby tin cans.

The inhabitants of Hooverville started screaming and running for it.

Frank rushed to Solomon's side.

"No! Solomon!" He bent down over him. I ran over and pulled Frank off of him.

"Frank, I'm sorry. But he's gone. You have to go. Run. Now."

"They killed him. They just shot him on the spot." he said, looking up at me.

"Yeah, they did. I'm sorry, I really am, but you have to go. Now."

Frank stood up and ran towards the others. I looked back over to the Doctor. He was wearing his heart on his sleeve. Not literally, of course. Though, there was one main emotion I could pick out. An emotion that I can say that I've never ever known him to feel.

Hatred.

Absolute hatred.

"Daleks!" he screamed.

He moved forward, arms out to his side, ready to confront the Daleks

"All right, so it's my turn! Then kill me! Kill me if it'll stop you attacking these people!"

My eyes widened. I leapt up and ran over to him.

"NO!" I shouted.

"Buffy, get away. This isn't your battle. It's mine and mine alone." His tone was so vicious that it stopped me in my tracks.

"I will be the destroyer of our greatest enemy."

"Then do it! Do it! Just do it! DO IT!" the Doctor screamed.

I closed my eyes. I didn't want to see this.

"Extermin—"

The Dalek stopped mid-word.

I opened my eyes.

"I do not understand. It is the Doctor." it said to an invisible voice.

"I…obey." it said, finally.

"What's going on?" the Doctor asked, skeptically.

"You will follow."

"No! Absolutely not! You can't go!" I said, grabbing his arm.

He shook my grip off.

"I've got to go. The Daleks just changed their minds. Daleks never change their minds."

"But what about all the people here? What about…me?"

The Doctor looked back at Hooverville before turning and facing the Dalek once more.

"One condition! If I come with you, you spare the lives of everyone here! Do you hear  
>me?"<p>

The Dalek was silent for a moment.

"The humans will be spared. Doctor…follow."

"I'm coming with you." I said, with my resolve face on.

"Buffy, stay here. Do what you do best. Help them. Be their protector."

He started to walk away, but I grabbed him by the elbow and spun him around.

"Doctor…" I pleaded.

He paused a moment before grabbing me in a tight hug and slipping something in the back pocket of my jeans.

"Just remember, whatever happens…know that I love you."

He let me go and walked away, following the Daleks.

When they were out of sight, I reached into my back pocket to find the psychic paper. 

* * *

><p>I'm by far no doctor (the medical kind. well, okay, I'm not the time lord-y kind either.) but my life as the Slayer has given me a bit of knowledge on wounds and how to care for them.<p>

Yeah, I get hurt a lot.

I was in a tent, one of the one's not currently smoldering in smokiness, absentmindedly applying a bandage to a man's arm.

"Here you go. I got some more on the boil." Tallulah said, entering the tent with a pot of hot water.

"Thanks." I finished the man's bandage and helped him up. "You'll be all right. It's just a cut. Try and keep it clean."

He nodded his thanks and walked out. Tallulah leaned up against the wall.

"So what about us? What do we do now?"

"The Doctor gave me this. He must have had a reason." I said, holding the psychic paper.

"What's that for?"

"Gets you into places, buildings and things."

We were silent for a bit. Thoughts were flying in and out of my mind.

I punched a wooden table in frustration. It fractured, immediately sending splinters of wood flying.

I pulled my fist out to see that most of the wood splinters were stuck in my knuckles.

Bloody wood. Gross.

Tallulah stood against the wall, horrified. I'm not sure if it was at my random violent outburst, my great strength or both. She shook off her dazed expression after a few seconds though, grabbed the pot of hot water and handed it to me.

"What did you do that for?"

I sighed, putting my fist into the hot water. I winced only momentarily and then settled down as Tallulah began cleaning the splinters out.

"Frustrated. The Doctor expects me to do something and I have no idea what."

Tallulah just nodded. She dried my knuckles and wrapped a bandage around the middle of my hand.

"He gave me the psychic paper which means he must want me to go somewhere. But where? What am I supposed to do?"

"He trusts you. Otherwise he wouldn't of left us in your care." Tallulah said, pointedly.

I stood up and started pacing. I stopped after a few minutes when a light bulb went off.

"Wait a minute. Down in the sewers the Daleks mentioned this…energy conductor."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know. Maybe like a…lightening conductor or…Dalekanium! They said the Dalekanium was in place."

"In place where?"

"I don't know…but Frank might. Come on."

We raced out of the tent to find Frank bent down on the ground, clearly in mourning.

"Frank?" I said, softly.

"Hm?"

"That Mr. Diagoras, he was like some sort of fixer, right? Get jobs all over town kind of guy?"

"Yeah. He could find a profit anywhere."

"But where, though? What sort of things?"

"You name it. We're all so desperate for work, you just hoped Diagoras would pick you for something good. Building work. That pays the best."

"But what sort of building work?"

"Mainly building that." he said, pointing towards the Empire State Building.

"Well, that answers the 'where' question then. We better get a move on."

"What—" Frank started to ask.

"It's probably better if you just follow and don't ask a lot of questions." I said.

He smiled and got up from the ground. After a bit of a hike through the city, we found ourselves inside the Empire State Building, inside a service lift.

"I've always wanted to come here. Never imagined it quite like this, though."

"How can you have heard about the building when it's not even finished yet?" Frank asked.

"Oh, um, I, uhhh, I meant New York. I've always wanted to come to New York." I said, fidgeting my way through the sentence.

"Where are we headed anyway?" he asked.

"To the top where they're still building."

"How come those guys just let us through? How's that thing work?" Tallulah asked.

"Psychic paper. Shows them whatever I want them to think. According to this, we're two engineers and an architect." I explained.

The lift jolted to a stop. Tallulah opened up the doors and we all stepped out into what appeared to be an office type room.

"Look at this pace. Top of the world." Tallulah said in complete awe.

I tilted my head a bit and spotted what appeared to be architectural plans.

"Okay, now this looks good." I said, picking them up. Frank walked up to my side.

"Hey, look at the date. These designs were issued today. They must've changed something last minute."

"You mean the Daleks changed something?"

"Yeah, could be."

"The ones underneath, they're from before. That means that whatever they changed must be on this top sheet but not this one. We need to check one against the other."

"The height of this place! This is amazing!" Tallulah said, excitedly.

"Careful, we're a hundred floors up. Don't go wandering off." I warned.

" Oh I just wanna see." she answered back. I watched as she walked to an open area that overlooked the entire city.

"New York City. If aliens had to come to Earth, no wonder they came here." she said, silently.

I rolled my eyes and let a little smile slip.

I took the architectural plans down from the drafting board and spread them across the floor. I kneeled down and started studying them. Frank had joined Tallulah, standing behind me.

"I'll go and keep an eye out, make sure we're safe up here. Don't want nobody buttin' in." Frank said after a few minutes. He walked out a side door, leaving Tallulah and I by ourselves.

"There's a hell of a storm movin' in." Tallulah said, conversationally.

"I wish the Doctor was here. He'd know what we're looking for." I sighed.

"So tell me, where did you and him first hook up?" she asked.

"California. It's where I live. Er, well, lived. He was…passing through my town with a friend and got lost. They were kind enough to help me out with some things."

"Friend? As in a lady friend?" she asked.

"Rose was a nice girl. And a good person. I liked her a lot."

"She's dead?"

"No, not dead. Just…well, it's really complicated."

Tallulah kneeled down beside me.

"Complicated. Huh. Boy do I get that."

I just nodded.

"I hope you don't mind me askin', but…who are you? Exactly?"

I smiled. "I'm the Slayer. Er, _a_ Slayer that is. Basically, I fight monsters."

Tallulah didn't seem shocked, though after the events of the evening, I wasn't really expecting her to be.

"Is that Doctor a Slayer too?"

I laughed. "No. Slayers are strictly of the female variety."

"But he's different."

"You have no idea how different he really is."

"Yeah, he's a man, sweetheart. That's different enough."

I laughed again. "You're telling me."

"So have you been together ever since your first meeting?"

"No. He had his friend and I had this…really complicated situation going on. With someone. When they came back again, Rose was still with him and I was with someone else. About a year later, he came back after Mom died. Rose was gone too so it was kind of a downer fest. I had other things going on, besides Mom, with my little sister…there was this—well, it's not important, not now anyway, but she was in danger. Very grave danger. The Doctor wanted to stay and help but I knew deep down that I couldn't let him do that. It was my battle and I had to fight it. So, I tricked him into leaving. Just sent him packing. When he came back a few months later, he didn't realize that I had di—well, things were just really different. He stayed with my sister for a bit and then left off. The next time that he showed up, things were just…really really bad. I was going through some really seriously bad stuff. Stuff that I couldn't deal with. He left me when I thought I needed him the most. I was so…angry. And hurt. I didn't realize it until much much later that his leaving actually helped me heal. In so many different ways."

I hadn't meant for my answer to turn into a long winded monologue, but that's what it ended as.

|"Aw, listen sweetheart. You wanna get all sad? You wanna have a contest with me and Lazlo?"

"No. But listen, if the Doctor's with Lazlo now, there's every chance that he could get him out."

"And then what? Don't talk crazy. There's no future for me and him. Those Dalek things took that away. The one good thing I had in my life and they destroyed it."

I nodded, silently. I focused back in on the architectural plans in front of me and we were silent for another few minutes.

"You didn't answer. When did you finally get together?"

I thought a moment. It only seemed like a couple weeks, but thanks to the whole time travel thing, technically, it was a good year, if not longer. I settled on answering in the middle.

"Few months ago."

She nodded and walked back over to open area, staring out over the city. 

* * *

><p>I spent the next several minutes carefully searching over the architectural plans, looking for any little differences that I could spot. My eyes were starting to blur. After another few minutes, however, my blurry eyes paid off.<p>

"Got it!" I yelled, motioning to Tallulah.

She joined me on the floor, staring over the plans.

"There, on the mast. Those little lines? They're new. They've added something, see?"

"Added what?" she asked.

We both looked up at each other, already knowing the answer.

"Dalekanium!" we shouted in unison.

I heard a little 'ping' noise and looked up to see the lift doors opening. Inside, were Lazlo and The Doctor. I jumped up and ran over to him.

"Doctor!"

"First floor, perfumery." he joked.

I slapped him across the face.

"What in the bloody hell was that for?" he asked, rubbing the spot where I slapped him.

"For making me worry about you. Now get over here and look at what I've found."

He followed me over to where Tallulah and I had the plans spread out across the floor.

He pulled his specs out and slipped them on, looking over the papers.

"We worked it out. We know what they've done. There's Dalekanium on the mast. And I'm really ecstatic that you're not dead-by-laser-beam, by the way."

He smiled wide.

"Oh, come here." He grabbed me up into a large hug and twirled me around. He dropped me down abruptly though, as the lift bell dinged. The doors closed. He ran over towards the doors, intent on stopping it.

"No, no, no."

He pulled the sonic out and waved over the panel.

"It's a deadlock seal. I can't stop it." he said after a few seconds.

"Where's it going?" I asked.

"Right down to the Daleks. And they're not going to leave us alone up here. What's the time?"

"11:15." I said, looking down at my watch.

"Six minutes to go. I've got to remove the Dalekanium before the gamma radiation hits."

"Gammon radiation? What the heck is that?" Tallulah asked, walking forward with Lazlo.

I grabbed the Doctor's hand and led him outside, to the open area. He looked out over the city and then up towards the top of the building.

"Oh, that's high. That's very- Blimey, that's high."

"And we've got to go even higher. That's the mast up there, look. There's three pieces of Dalekanium at the base. We've got to get 'em off."

"That's not "we". That's just me." he corrected.

"I'm not going to just stand here and watch you."

"No, you're gonna have your hands full, anyway. You're going to do what you do best, sweetheart. You're going to fight."

Tallulah, Lazlo, Frank, who had rejoined us from his look-outs post, and I stood and  
>watched as the Doctor climbed higher and higher up the scaffolding. The weather wasn't making it easy for him, either. High winds and rain were blowing all around him. He reached the base of the mast, took out the sonic and zapped at the bolts that were holding the Dalekanium in place.<p>

I heard the lift ding again. I turned my head away from the Doctor and scrambled around for makeshift weapons for us left down here on the ground.

"The lift's coming up." I warned.

"I shoulda brought that gun." Frank said.

"Right, and I should of brought my scythe." I said, wishing for the millionth time that I had grabbed it.

"Tallulah, stay back. You too, Buffy. IF they send pig slaves, they're trained to kill." Lazlo said.

I snorted.

"I've faced worse."

"But they're savages. I should know. They're trained to slit your throat with their bare teeth."

I smiled. "I've faced _a lot_ worse. And lived to tell the tale."

Lazlo collapsed to the floor. Tallulah ran over to him.

"Lazlo? What is it?" she asked, worried.

He struggled to stand.

"No, it's nothing. I'm fine. Just leave me."

He fell back to the floor and leaned against the wall. Tallulah kneeled beside him and put her hand to his forehead.

"Oh, honey, you're burnin' up. What's wrong with you? Tell me."

"One man down and we ain't even started yet." Frank said.

"Well, it looks like it's just me and you Frankie. Watch my back and I'll watch yours, but do not get in my way. You're not going to like it if you do, I promise. Got it?"

He nodded, seemingly picking up the small threat in my tone.

My mind raced into Slayer mode. Realistically, there were probably a lot of pig men coming up. I mean, I'm an awesome Slayer, but not when I have three other people to worry about protecting. I suddenly decided that fighting probably wasn't a good idea. Not without me having some sort of advantage.

"It's not looking good, Frank." I said, changing my tone.

"Nope."

A loud crack of thunder burst down, echoing throughout the open room we were in. It sparked an idea in me.

I ran to the other end of the room, motioning for Frank to follow.

I started arranging long metal rods from the outside across the room to the lift. Frank picked up on what I was doing and started helping.

"Make sure they don't touch the floor!" I yelled to him.

Tallulah was sitting against the wall with Lazlo, who wasn't looking so good. Health wise.

I wasn't making a pig-face related joke. For once.

"What the hell are you two clowns doin'?" she yelled out to Frank and I.

"Even if the Doctor stops the Dalekanium, this place is still gonna get hit. Great big bolt of lightening comes….well, there's electricity all down this building. Connect the metal to the lift and they get zapped." I flashed a grin.

"Oh my God, that could work." Tallulah said. I didn't miss the shocked tone of voice she used.

I was pretty amazed with my braininess myself. Apparently, the Doctor is good for me.

We finished out handiwork in no time. Which is good. Because time was something that we definitely did not have.

"Is that gonna work?" Tallulah asked.

"It's got to. It's our only hope." I said.

"I've got it all piped up to the scaffolding outside." Frank said, walking back over to us.

"Come here, Frank and sit in the middle with us. Don't touch anything metal." I warned.

Just like I had thought, a bolt of lightening struck the building. I thought I heard a scream come from where the Doctor was, but I couldn't get up due to the fact that the lightening was now passing through the pipes. It went straight to the lift, striking the pig slaves. They fell almost immediately. I stood up, careful to avoid anything and everything metal, and ran over to the lift.

"You did it, Buffy." Tallulah said, excitedly.

Guilt rushed up through me and my conscience.

"They used to be like Lazlo. They were people and I killed them." I said.

"No, the Daleks killed them. Long ago." Lazlo said, comfortingly. I heard another scream come from up above us.

"The Doctor!" I shouted. I ran outside as fast as I could. I climbed the side of the building with ease. I noticed part way up that the sonic doo-hickey was laying, carelessly on a ledge. I grabbed it and made it up to the mast in record time. The Doctor was lying, unconscious. I kneeled down and pulled him into my lap.

"Doctor! Doctor…I found your screwdriver, just floating around on a ledge. You're getting careless."

He groaned.

"Oh…my head."

I exhaled a large breath of relief.

"Hiya." I smiled down at him.

"Hi. You survived then." he smiled back.

"What can I say? I'm a survivalist. Looks like you did as well. Mostly unharmed, too.  
>Though, I can't help noticing….there's Dalekanium still attached."<p>

The Doctor jumped up quickly and raced down the mast, back to where everyone else was gathered. 

* * *

><p>"The Daleks will have gone straight to a war footing. They'll be using the sewers, spreading their soldiers out underneath Manhattan." the Doctor said, pacing about the room.<p>

"How do we stop them?" Lazlo asked, still leaning against the wall.

"There's only one chance. I got in the way. That gamma strike went zapping though me first."

"But what does that mean?" I asked.

"We need to draw fire. Before they can attack New York, I need to face them. Think, think, think, think. We need some sort of space, somewhere safe, somewhere out of the way. Tallulah!"

"That's me. Three Ls and an H." she said, stepping forward.

"The theatre! It's right above them, and, what, it's gone midnight? Can you get us inside?"

"Don't see why not."

"Is there another lift?"

"We came up in the service elevator." I said.

"That'll do. Allons-y!"

A smile stretched across my face. I knew right then and there that we were going to survive this.

Probably. 

* * *

><p>We arrived at the theatre in no time. It was pitch black and appropriately eerie.<p>

"This should do it. Here we go." the Doctor said, switching on the sonic.

"There ain't nothin' more creepy than a theatre in the dark. Listen, Doctor, I know you got a thing for show tunes, but there's a time and place, huh?" Tallulah said.

Lazlo fell into one of the chairs beside her.

"Lazlo, what's wrong?" she asked, sitting next to him.

"Nothing. It's just so hot." he said, fanning himself.

"But…it's freezing in here. Doctor, what's happening to him?"

The Doctor was listening to the sonic screwdriver, trying to figure something out.

"Not now, Tallulah. Sorry." he replied.

"What are you doing?" I asked, curiously.

"If the Daleks are going to war, they'll wanna find their number one enemy. I'm just telling them where I am."

The Doctor held up the screwdriver and turned it on. 

* * *

><p>"I'm telling you to go. Frank can take you back to Hooverville."<p>

"And I'm telling you….I'm not going!" I yelled back.

"Buffy, that's an order."

I laughed a sarcastic laugh.

"Yeah, no, I don't take orders. If I wanted orders, I would've never quit the Council. What have you turned into? Some sort of Dalek?"

The Doctor opened his mouth to answer but shut it quickly as the theatre doors burst open. The human Daleks entered, surrounding us.

"Oh, my God!" Tallulah yelled.

"Well I guess that's them…humans…with Dalek DNA." I said, quietly.

Frank moved to attack, but both the Doctor and I pulled him back.

"It's all right. Just stay calm. Don't antagonize them." the Doctor whispered.

"But what about the Dalek masters? Where are they?" Lazlo asked.

Abruptly, there was an explosion on stage. I grabbed the Doctor and pulled him down, behind the seats, as did the others. After a few moments, the Doctor and I peered over the seats. The smoke was starting to clear. Two Daleks were rolling forward with Dalek Sec chained and walking on all fours, like a dog. A really disfigured, kind of human, dog.

The Doctor stood slowly.

"The Doctor will stand before the Daleks."

He climbed up over a few theatre chairs and stopped when he reached the front row.

"You will die, Doctor. It is the beginning of a new age."

"Planet Earth will become New Skaro."

"Oh, and what a world. With anything just the slightest bit different ground into the dirt. That's Dalek Sec. Don't you remember? The cleverest Dalek ever and look what you've done to him. Is that your new empire? Hmm? Is that the foundation for a whole new civilization?" the Doctor spat back.

"My Daleks…just understand this. If you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you." Dalek Sec said, prophetically.

"Incorrect. We will always survive."

"Now we will destroy our greatest enemy, the Doctor."

"But he can help you!" Dalek Sec pleaded.

"The Doctor must die."

"No, I beg you, don't!" Dalek Sec pleaded again.

He crawled in front of the Daleks.

"Exterminate!"

Dalek Sec stood just as one of the Daleks fired. He died instantly.

"Your own leader. The only creature who might have led you out of the darkness and you destroyed him." the Doctor said, disgusted. He turned around and faced the human Daleks. "Do you see what they did? Huh? You see what a Dalek really is? If I'm gonna die, let's give the new boys a shot. What do you think, eh? The Dalek-Humans. Their first blood. Go on, baptize them." he added, holding his arms out to his sides.

My eyes widened in horror. I wanted to do something, anything to save him, but I made myself stay put. I knew that I would possibly ruin whatever he had planned. That is, if he even had anything planned.

"Dalek-Humans, take aim."

The human Daleks cocked their weapons and aimed at the Doctor.

"What are you waiting for? Give the command!" he shouted.

"Exterminate!"

The Doctor closed his eyes. I kept my eyes trained on the human Daleks, prepared to take whomever I needed to, out. Except, nothing happened.

"Exterminate!" the Dalek repeated.

Still nothing happened.

"Obey. Dalek-Humans will obey."

"They're not firing…What have you done?" I asked, turning my head to the Doctor.

See? I knew he had a plan.

"You will obey. Exterminate."

"Why?" asked one of the human Daleks.

The Doctor turned his head to him.

"Daleks do not question orders."

"But why?" the human Dalek asked again.

"You will stop this."

"But…why?"

"You must not question."

"But you are not our master. And we…we are not Daleks."

"No, you're not, and you never will be." the Doctor answered. He turned to the two  
>Daleks. "Sorry, I got in the way of the lightening strike. Time Lord DNA got all mixed up. Just that little bit of freedom."<p>

"If they will not obey, then they must die."

The Daleks started firing at the human Daleks.

"Get down!" the Doctor yelled.

I pulled Tallulah, Lazlo and Frank down behind the seats with me.

"Exterminate! Exterminate!"

The human Daleks aimed at the Daleks.

"Destroy the hybrids. Destroy."

The human Daleks started firing.

"Exterminate!"

The Dalek that had just spoken was blown up.

"Extermin—" the second Dalek was blown up mid-sentence.

The human Daleks stopped firing. Frank, Tallulah, Lazlo and I stood up. The Doctor stood and walked over to the hybrids.

"It's all right. It's all right. It's all right. You did it. You're free." he whispered to them.  
>Suddenly, all the hybrids gripped their heads and screamed in pain.<p>

"No!" the Doctor screamed.

The human Daleks crumbled to the ground.

"They can't! They can't! They can't!" the Doctor said, kneeling down in frustration.

I walked over and joined him by the bodies.

"What happened? What was that?" I asked, horrified.

"They killed 'em. Rather than let them live. An entire species. Genocide." the Doctor said, with a mix of anger, hatred and sadness laced throughout his voice.

"Only two of the Daleks have been destroyed. One of the Dalek masters must still be alive." Lazlo said.

The Doctor stood, with, honestly, the most terrifying look on his face. A look that told me I should be extremely happy and lucky to be on his good side.

"Oh, yes. In the whole universe, just one." 

* * *

><p>I followed the Doctor as he walked into the laboratory where the Daleks had been keeping themselves hidden.<p>

The Dalek was connected to a computer at the other end of the room.

"Now what?" he asked.

"You will be exterminated."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Just think about it, Dalek- What was your name?"

"Dalek Caan."

The Doctor walked forward.

"Dalek Caan. Your entire species has been wiped out. And now the Cult of Skaro has been eradicated. Leaving only you. Right now you're facing the only man in the universe who might show you some compassion. 'Cause I've just seen one genocide. I won't cause another. Caan…let me help you. What do you say?"

"Emergency Temporal Shift!"

Dalek Caan disappeared, leaving wires hanging. The Doctor let out an angry yell. Tallulah and Frank entered just then, helping to support a very sick Lazlo.

I ran over to help them.

"Doctor! He's not looking so good." I said, peering into Lazlo's face.

He was breathing very heavily and wheezing very loudly. I helped Frank and Tallulah lower him to the floor. Tallulah cradled him in her lap.

"It's okay. You're all right." she said, running her hands over his chest.

The Doctor approached then.

"It's his heart. It's racing. I can hear it." I said, as the Doctor kneeled next to me.

"What is it, Doctor? What's the matter with him? He says he can't breathe? What is it?" Tallulah asked.

"It's time, sweetheart." Lazlo said, sweetly to her.

He was dying. I could sense it. Death is my gift, remember?

"What do you mean "time"? What are you talking about?"

"None of the slaves …survive for long. Most of them only live a few weeks. I was lucky. I held on 'cause I had you. But now…I'm dyin', Tallulah."

"No you're not. Not now, after all this. Doctor, can't you do somethin'?"

The Doctor's expression changed, rapidly. I knew exactly what he was feeling because I've felt it a few times myself. Yeah, you may have just saved the world, but a bunch of innocent people died in the process and one of the aggressors got away. And now, here was a way to redeem a bit of the innocent deaths. By saving just one person.

"Oh, Tallulah with three Ls and an H…just you watch me." he said, standing up and whipping his coat off.

"What do I need? Oh, I don't know. How about a great big genetic laboratory? Oh look, I've got one. Lazlo, just you hold on."

The Doctor ran about the lab, mixing up some kind of solution, rambling all the while.

"There's been too many deaths today. Way too many people have died. Brand new creatures and wise old men and age-old enemies. And I'm tellin' you, I'm tellin' you right now, I am not having one more death! Got that? Not one! Tallulah, out of the way."

I smiled wide. This is the Doctor that I fell in love with.

He took the stethoscope out of his pocket and wrapped it around his neck.

"The Doctor is in." he grinned. 

* * *

><p>The Doctor, Tallulah, Lazlo, who was bundled in an overcoat and hat, and myself, were waiting by a park bench. Frank ran up to us a few minutes later.<p>

"Well I talked to 'em and I told 'em what Solomon would've said and I reckon I shamed one or two of 'em."

"What did they say?" the Doctor asked.

"They said yes." Frank grinned.

Tallulah turned and hugged Lazlo, excitedly.

"They'll give you a home, Lazlo. I mean, uh, don't imagine people ain't gonna stare. I can't promise you'll be at peace but, in the end, that is what Hooverville is for, people who ain't got nowhere else." Frank said.

"Thank you. I—I can't thank you enough. All of you." Lazlo expressed. 

* * *

><p>We were back on Liberty Island by now. Just the Doctor and myself, looking out at the Manhattan skyline.<p>

The Doctor looked down, away from the beautiful skyline, and picked up my semi-injured hand.

"What happened?" he questioned.

"I…got a little…frustrated. And took it out on a table."

He smirked. "Oh, Buffy. Someday we will work on your violence issues."

"Think it's gonna work out between those two?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I don't know. Anywhere else in the universe, I might worry about them, but New York, that's what this city's good at. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, and maybe the odd pig-slave-Dalek-mutant-hybrid too."

I laughed. "The pig and the showgirl."

"The pig and the showgirl." the Doctor smiled.

"Just proves it, I suppose. There's someone for everyone." I said, thoughtfully.

The Doctor's smile widened. He slipped his hand in mine.

"The Alien and the Slayer?"

I grinned. "The Alien and the Slayer."


End file.
